FINCast Ep. 19 - The DPRK Sanctions Program
On February 21, 2025, Bybit, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, suffered a cyberattack resulting in the theft of approximately $1.5 billion in Ethereum tokens. This attack marked a new pinnacle in the...more
Throughout 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") published 12 enforcement actions regarding alleged sanctions violations by foreign and domestic persons and entities....more
On Friday, December 27, 2024, the Justice Department issued a final rule to address “urgent national security risks posed by access to U.S. sensitive personal and government-related data from countries of concern and covered...more
North Korea Sanctions Violations - In a recent enforcement action, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) imposed an $860,000 penalty on Vietnam Beverage Company Limited (“VBCL”), a...more
Global companies face significant risks in their supply chains of compliance with OFAC’s economic sanctions regime. OFAC has emphasized the importance of conducting supply chain risk assessments and audits....more
During the first quarter of 2024, there were significant developments in the U.S. sanctions framework. This report summarizes the key developments and provides links to the relevant sources....more
The executive order signed by United States President Joseph Biden in February 2024 states that the violence being committed by Israeli settlers has reached intolerable levels; poses a serious threat to peace, security, and...more
As federal regulators have recently made clear, steamship lines, non-vessel-operating common carriers, indirect air carriers, freight forwarders, and others involved in the global movement of cargo must ensure that their...more
President Joe Biden signed into law the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (2023 NDAA or Defense Bill) on Dec. 23, 2022. The Defense Bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on...more
Editor’s Note: On July 27, 2022, HaystackID shared an educational webcast on the topic of Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) compliance. CFIUS is a U.S. government interagency committee with the...more
It seems almost every day there are reports of new developments under the U.S. sanctions laws. Yet many U.S. companies do not understand the significance of these laws....more
As trade compliance gains more traction, US regulators have made it clear that having compliance policies in place is critical, regardless of the company size or the industry. The implementation of such compliance programs...more
The Justice Department and OFAC announced a settlement with Essentra FZE Company Limited (“Essentra FZE”), a cigarette filter and tear tape manufacturer, for violation of the North Korea Sanctions Program. The violations...more
In an increasingly integrated global economy, and as businesses shift to online sales and a broader client base, it is important to have a clear understanding of, among other things, the U.S. sanctions in place, and the...more
CEP Magazine (February 2020) - Virgil Griffith, an American citizen, was arrested Nov. 30 after speaking on blockchain solutions at the April 2019 Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference in North Korea....more
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Executive Summary - Developments and Trends in Policy and Enforcement - US Department of the Treasury - The Office of Foreign Assets Control - Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network -...more
It’s Friday and time for another overview of developments in the field of business and human rights that we’ve been monitoring. This week’s post includes: two new reports looking at corporate compliance with the U.K....more
In 2017 there were a number of major sanctions developments in the EU and the US, with implications for businesses both in terms of keeping their compliance processes effective, and in terms of what to do if breaches are...more
The Moody Blues finally made it to Houston last week (well Sugar Land – but close enough). They were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of what many call the first progressive rock album, Days of Future Passed....more
Sanctions compliance is challenging because of the changing nature of sanctions regulations and individuals identified as Specially Designated Nationals. With each new administration, foreign policy priorities are usually...more
Politics and sanctions law go hand-in-hand. In a rare instance of bi-partisanship, Congress united to constrain the administration’s ability to modify the existing sanctions program against Russia. At the same time, Congress...more
As if to provide a not-too-subtle reminder to insurers of the applicability of U.S. trade sanctions to their businesses, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) announced on August 6, that a New...more
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that Navigators Insurance Company, which is headquartered in New York and specializes in marine insurance and related lines of business,...more