Citibank has been handed a £4.7 million fine after its London branch violated the U.K.’s Russian sanctions regime by processing nearly £20 million in illegal payments to designated individuals and organizations.
Sanctions
Posted inSanctions
How ordinary Russian investors got caught in the sanctions net
When sanctions against Russia began multiplying in 2022, the public images were hard to miss: Yachts seized in European ports, villas frozen, bank accounts linked to oligarchs blocked. What I remember from the compliance side looked less visible and much more procedural. It was passports, residence permits, source-of-wealth documents, ownership charts, explanations of old bank […]
Posted inSanctions
Inconsistent sanctions programs leave compliance struggling, while shadow fleet ships slip beneath the radar
Russian “shadow-fleet” ships are using simple tactics to evade sanctions from the U.S., U.K, and EU.
Posted inSanctions
Enforcement set to ramp up over sanctions compliance, warn lawyers
When the U.K.’s financial regulator reported that firms’ sanctions compliance had fallen short in multiple areas, it was a warning to the sector that improvements need to be made—and quickly—as oversight and enforcement are set to be cranked up.
Posted inSanctions
Sanctions are evolving fast. Ashurst Perkins Coie’s Jamie Schafer on why compliance is more critical than ever
Jamie Schafer, co-chair of the regulatory compliance and disputes practice at Ashurst Perkins Coie in Washington, D.C., explains why compliance teams must be involved at strategic and product level and where to expect new risks to emerge.
Posted inSanctions
U.S. continues to dominate sanctions penalties, but EU and U.K. penalties are increasing
Sanctions regimes in the U.S., U.K. and EU are evolving rapidly, causing continual changes, and the penalties for failure – civil and criminal – are potentially huge. Multiple inconsistent sanctions lists and increased focus on supply chains and third-party entities are making compliance for global organizations a full-time headache.
Posted inSanctions
FCA calls out good and poor practices in sanctions reporting
Financial firms have made progress in preventing sanctions breaches, but serious gaps in governance and compliance remain, which are likely to result in keener regulatory scrutiny and potentially more penalties in the future, say experts.
Posted inSanctions
Sanctions penalty for Scottish energy company marks ‘new era’ of sanctions enforcement
A Scottish energy company has become the first to be named by the U.K. customs and excise authority for breaching Russian sanctions rules.
Posted inCryptocurrency and Digital Assets
U.K.’s sanctions on cryptocurrency exchanges signal new focus on illicit digital financing
Cryptocurrency exchanges believed to be financing Russia’s war in Ukraine have been sanctioned by the U.K. government in the first attempt to prevent evasion via “dark networks.”
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Sabre Corp subsidiary fined $1.3 million for U.K. sanctions circumvention
The U.K.’s sanctions office has imposed its largest penalty for circumventing Russian sanctions since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.
