Compliance in the spotlight as tariffs, sanctions turn into geopolitical weapons
Navigating tariffs and sanctions is becoming a core part of compliance for many companies. As the U.S. and others use economic policies for political aims, compliance teams must adapt to this new geoeconomic trend.
Fraud, money laundering, and sanctions prompt global regulators to increase scrutiny of law firms
Legal firms face growing global regulatory pressure, requiring compliance managers to focus on integrated systems, identity verification, and staff training to prevent crime and penalties.
Thanks to 'laser focus' on cartels, Trump admin creates new corporate risks in Mexico
The Trump administration’s designation of Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations in February has made doing business in Mexico riskier than ever before for corporations.
Sanctions, tariffs, customs and sustainability create global headache for logistics compliance
The global logistics and transport sector is vast and constantly growing – as is the host of regulations that apply to it. Compliance managers must consider everything from planning regulations to employment law and health and safety, to import duties and customs rules, and global sanctions.
OFAC cracks down on Iran’s oil trade with new sanctions sweep
More than 50 people and 50 ships connected to a top Iranian official were added to the U.S. Treasury’s sanctions list on Wednesday, according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
U.S. regulators scrutinizing American companies’ transactions with Chinese firms
Recent enforcement actions by U.S. agencies overseeing customs payments and export control laws indicate increased scrutiny of business transactions between U.S. and Chinese companies.
Interactive Brokers to pay $11.8M to settle thousands of U.S. sanction violations
A brokerage and investment firm will pay $11.8 million for providing services to individuals under U.S. sanctions, as well as people located in countries sanctioned by the U.S.
OFAC fines Harman Industries $1.4M for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran
A Connecticut-based audio electronics company will pay a $1.4 million fine for violating U.S. sanctions, after middle managers at a foreign distributor knowingly diverted the company’s products to Iran.
OFAC fines logistics company Key Holding $609k for violating U.S. sanctions on Cuba
A Delaware logistics company paid a $608,825 fine for violating U.S. sanctions on Cuba, a breach that the company self-disclosed to the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
DOJ targets $14.6B in health care fraud with focus on transnational crime
Emerging enforcement priorities of the U.S. Department of Justice’s health care fraud division align with the Trump administration’s emphasis on prosecuting transnational criminal organizations and ending opioid trafficking.
FinCEN bars three Mexican financial institutions for aiding cartels in fentanyl trade
Three Mexican financial institutions will be barred from transacting with U.S.-based banks after a U.S. Treasury agency determined that the institutions allowed their networks to aid the illegal fentanyl trade of Mexican criminal organizations.
Venture capital firm self-reports sanctions violations of M&A target to DOJ, receives declination
After self-reporting that a recently purchased subsidiary broke U.S. sanctions and export control laws, a Texas-based venture capital fund will receive no penalty from the U.S. Department of Justice.
OFAC hits GVA Capital with $216M penalty for servicing sanctioned Russian oligarch
A San Francisco venture capital firm will pay a $216 million fine to the U.S. Treasury for violating U.S. sanctions by managing investments for a Russian oligarch.
ESG goes beyond politics: Vendor management, forced labor, sustainability
ESG is no longer in vogue. But its issues still are.
In a world filled with uncertainty, boards need to focus on connecting dots
Regulators and investors increasingly say boards of directors need more expertise to ensure they can respond to fast-changing politics, policy, and technology that threaten to undermine their businesses. In the U.K., government officials say boards need to think more about cyber. In the EU, they need to prepare for the ...
TPRM has become the business continuity plan in turbulent times
Global supply chains are constantly in flux: crucial vendors could suddenly go bankrupt, fail to produce key components without warning, or even lose your firm’s data in a breach. The result has drawn ever more attention to third-party risk management as a critical element of many businesses.
OFAC, FinCEN tighten screws on Sinaloa Cartel’s money laundering network
The Trump administration has taken two actions to attack money laundering rings operating in Mexico, highlighting the U.S. government’s focus on curbing the fentanyl trade and the illegal profits it generates.
Treasury reversal of OFAC sanctions against Tornado Cash signals eroding AML scrutiny
The U.S. Treasury Department lifted its sanctions against cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash on Friday after a federal appeals court ruled in November the penalty levied by the agency’s Office of Foreign Assets Control was an overreach.
Experts question effectiveness of new enforcement tool SFO is finally wielding
The U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office has made its first use of an enforcement tool that was meant to bring oligarchs and kleptocrats to book. But lawyers are unsure whether the move signifies either a change in direction or fortune for the agency.
Q&A: Hellenic Bank CCO on progress made to fight corruption in Cyprus
Maria Aristidou Demetriou, chief compliance officer at Cyprus-based Hellenic Bank, spoke to Compliance Week about derisking in the Cypriot banking sector since Russian’s invasion of Ukraine and efforts to combat corruption, money laundering, and sanctions evasion.
Inside Cyprus’ efforts to stem money laundering and sanctions evasion
Are there success stories in the international fight against money laundering and sanctions evasion? The island nation of Cyprus is making its case.
DOJ indicts five in remote IT work scheme to circumvent North Korean sanctions
Five people, including two Americans, allegedly duped U.S. companies into hiring North Koreans for contract IT work, and funneled millions in U.S. dollars to the sanctioned regime, the Department of Justice said.
SEC fines cannabis hedge fund $150K for bogus AML policies, ties to Russian oligarch Abramovich
Cannabis hedge fund Navy Capital Green Management agreed to pay $150,000 to settle charges levied by the Securirties and Exchange Commission that the firm misled investors about its AML/CFT policies and allowed a sanctioned Russian oligarch to invest.
SkyGeek dinged by OFAC for completing orders, refunds with sanctioned Russian firms
Nearly three years after Russia invaded Ukraine, numerous U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia-based companies connected to the war effort have made doing business in the country fraught with unseen risks, as one U.S. airplane parts distributor learned recently.
Top 5 risks for 2025: U.S. uncertainty, global trade war, digital attacks
A prominent risk management firm has issued its predictions for the top five risks for business in 2025, along with guidance for how organizations should prepare and respond.
OCC orders Bank of America to shore up BSA/AML, sanctions compliance programs
Bank of America avoided a monetary penalty in agreeing to settle charges with the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency but was ordered to shore up previously disclosed deficiencies in its Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering (BSA/AML) and sanctions compliance programs.
Minnesota transport company hit with sanctions violations for Cuba, Iran trade
A Minnesota transportation company agreed to pay nearly $258,000 to settle allegations that a subsidiaries violated sanctions against Cuba and Iran more than 80 times, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said.
Evolving sanctions rules make continuous screening, due diligence essential in 2025
The EU and U.K. have rushed to commit themselves to intensifying action on sanctions evasion after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, but any compliance managers who believe Trump will make global sanctions compliance easier in 2025 are likely to be disappointed.
U.K., EU enforcement regimes set to escalate, but critics question sanctions’ effectiveness
With a new political regime ready to take over in the U.S., the effectiveness of sanctions against malign foreign actors like Russia, North Korea, and Iran have come into question. While the European Union and U.K. have increased sanctions pressure, critics have publicly asked: Is it enough?
German firm Aiotec to pay $14.5M to settle Iran sanctions violation
German petrochemical parts supplier Aiotec agreed to pay $14.5 million to settle allegations that it engaged in a four-year conspiracy to dismantle and ship a plastics manufacturing plant owned by a U.S. company to Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions.
U.S. Appeals Court ruling in Tornado Cash case opens door for AML regulatory unwind
In striking down penalties against cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash for violating U.S. sanctions, a federal appeals court may have started to chip away at anti-money laundering regulations established by Democrats even before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Trump names Scott Bessent to be Treasury secretary, with a clear deregulation agenda
Hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, named by Donald Trump on Friday as his nominee for Treasury Secretary, has a clear mandate to deregulate the financial markets should he take the helm.
MetLife subsidiary fined $178K by OFAC for issuing premiums to Iran-controlled entities
A subsidiary of MetLife will pay more than $178,000 for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran when it provided insurance policies to entities in the United Arab Emirates owned or controlled by Iran.
U.K. sanctions 56 entities connected to Russia’s 'war machine'
The U.K. has issued 56 new sanctions against entities and individuals involved with Russia’s war effort, including several private mercenary groups operating in Africa that are connected to the Kremlin.
Vietnamese business pays $860K for violating U.S. sanctions on North Korea
A Vietnamese alcohol company has agreed to pay $860,000 to settle allegations by the Office of Foreign Assets Control that its business with North Korea involved U.S. financial institutions.
New U.K. enforcement body piles pressure on sanctions evaders
Global sanctions rules are increasing rapidly, as are tools to detect and punish those who break them. In response, the U.K. government is creating a new Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation to investigate and penalize those who break sanctions rules.
Starling Bank fined $38.5M for repeatedly onboarding high-risk customers
The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority fined Starling Bank, Britain’s first digital bank, nearly 29 million pounds (U.S. $38.5 million) for repeated failures related to onboarding high-risk customers.
Wells Fargo agrees with OCC to shore up BSA/AML, sanctions program deficiencies
The Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ordered Wells Fargo to make “comprehensive corrective actions” to its Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering and U.S. sanctions programs, along with receive permission from the OCC to offer new products and services or enter new geographic markets with “medium or high” ...
Report: U.K. sanctions enforcement against Russia lacking since invasion of Ukraine
Sanctions imposed against Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine are being undermined by the U.K.’s poor track record of enforcement, according to a report by campaign group Spotlight on Corruption.