OFAC targets Mexican companies for helping Venezuelan President Maduro evade U.S. sanctions
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has blacklisted a network of Mexican individuals and companies said to be helping Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro evade U.S. sanctions.
White paper: Managing Sanctions Compliance in a Global Economy Part 3
In today’s global economy, opportunities for growth are often accompanied by an increasingly complex landscape of rules, regulations and compliance issues. Since compliance is now a component of everyday business operations, businesses must employ a strategic, holistic program with several key components, including customer risk profiling.
Sanctions guidance: Best practices for maritime, energy, metals sectors
A global advisory to alert the maritime, energy, and metals sectors about common deceptive shipping practices used to evade sanctions includes seven sanctions compliance best practices to mitigate risk.
Development bank bans Brazilian company for paying kickbacks
A Brazilian construction company that paid nearly $50 million in kickbacks has been banned from participating in Inter-American Development Bank-funded projects for more than two years.
Industrial Bank of Korea to pay $86M for sanctions compliance failures
The Industrial Bank of Korea and its New York branch will pay a total of $86 million to resolve charges for systemic sanctions compliance failures that allowed more than $1 billion to be illegally transferred to the government of Iran.
White paper: 2020 Sanctions Compliance Report
What are the biggest obstacles to sanctions compliance? CSI’s 2020 Sanctions Compliance Report examines challenges and provides a resource-maximizing roadmap to help organizations implement an effective sanctions compliance program.
Standard Chartered fined $24.9M for Ukraine sanctions breaches
The U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation hit Standard Chartered Bank for a record fine relating to loans the bank made to Russian financial institutions in violation of the EU’s sanction regime.
Swedbank notifies OFAC of potential sanctions violations
Swedbank announced it has reported approximately $4.8 million worth of transactions that might be subject to U.S. sanctions to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Compliance best practices for ever-evolving Iran sanctions
A new executive order issued in January places additional sanctions on a much broader portion of Iran’s economy and, from a compliance and risk management standpoint, puts a broader range of companies in the crosshairs of U.S. enforcement.
Q&A: Clearing up confusion with OFAC’s 50 Percent rule
Compliance Week spoke with Tiffany Archer, regional ethics and compliance officer and corporate counsel at Panasonic Avionics Corporation, on demystifying OFAC’s 50 Percent rule.
e-Book: Regulators get tough on abuses, distribute sanctions
ExxonMobil’s recent victory in a sanctions case could inspire others to fight back against U.S.-imposed sanctions.
Four ways to make sanctions more effective
Sanctions make an impact, but could they be better? Can they be better employed and more effective in achieving their aims?
SITA settles nearly 10K alleged OFAC sanctions violations for $7.8M
Société Internationale de Télécommunications has agreed to pay approximately $7.8 million to settle 9,256 apparent sanctions violations with the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Treasury sanctions Rosneft subsidiary for Venezuelan ties
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has sanctioned a subsidiary of Russian state-run oil company Rosneft for operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy.
DOJ indictment alleges Huawei fraud, trade secrets theft
The Department of Justice unveiled a fresh round of allegations against Chinese tech giant Huawei, including racketeering, theft of trade secrets, and bank fraud.
Study: Post-financial crisis fines against financial institutions hit $36B
Global fines and penalties against financial institutions hit $36 billion last year, as ramifications from the financial crisis continue to reverberate throughout the financial services industry, according to a new report.
Experts weigh in on Brexit consequences for GDPR, AML, more
The wheels to the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union are finally in motion, but the hard work still remains as to what kind of future trading relationship the country has with the single market.
Eagle Shipping settles ‘egregious’ OFAC case for $1.1M
Eagle Shipping International will make a handful of enhancements to its compliance controls as part of a $1.125 million settlement with the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Park Strategies execs draw ire of OFAC in settlement
Park Strategies will pay a relatively tame $12,150 to settle apparent OFAC violations, though the behavior of the lobbying firm’s executives was listed as an aggravating factor in the case.
NAVEX Global: Top 10 compliance trends for 2020
A recent Webinar, and complementary report, from NAVEX Global offers a look at the top 10 risk and compliance trends for 2020.
Will ExxonMobil’s victory in sanctions case mean more pushback?
ExxonMobil’s victory in a sanctions case before a federal court just might empower others in the regulated community to challenge the imposition of fines for alleged violations of sanctions regulations.
OFAC designates new sanctions against Iran’s metals industry
Sanctions compliance officers should be on alert following several new sanctions designated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control against Iran’s largest steel, aluminum, copper, and iron manufacturers.
Exxon wins legal battle with OFAC over sanctions violation
A federal judge ruled this week Exxon will not have to pay a $2 million civil penalty levied by OFAC in 2017 for violating Ukraine-related sanctions regulations.
DOJ revises export control and sanctions enforcement policy
The Department of Justice has revised its policy regarding voluntary disclosures of export control and sanctions violations.
WADA mess: Sports regulator’s light touch sends bad compliance message
One of sports’ key enforcement agencies handed out a penalty this week that sent a message no regulator wants to send: Punitive action may only come after the guilty party has already reaped the rewards.
Treasury sanctions 18 individuals connected to human rights abuse
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has added 18 individuals across six geographies to its Specially Designated Nationals list for their roles in serious human rights abuse. Six entities have also been added to the list.
Study: Spike in OFAC sanctions pose compliance challenges
Some companies might scramble to comply with more—and sometimes quickly shifting—sanctions requirements as the U.S. government chalks up record enforcement levels.
OFAC: Apple shows ‘reckless disregard’ for sanctions in ‘non-egregious’ violation
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had harsh words for Apple’s sanctions compliance program in announcing a not-so-hefty $466,912 settlement with the technology giant.
Reports: Huawei dangles incentives to overcome U.S. sanctions
Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei is reportedly offering cash rewards to employees aiding its struggle against significant U.S. sanctions.
e-Book: Navigating the Hazardous World of Global Sanctions
The world of global sanctions compliance is only growing more complex, not simpler. This can’t-miss e-Book, produced by Compliance Week in collaboration with Refinitiv, will help compliance officers and corporate counsel navigate through these legal and regulatory complexities.
World Bank Group debars MTZ Equipment for fraud
The World Bank has imposed a 30-month debarment on Canada-based MTZ Equipment for fraudulent practices connected to Afghanistan’s On-Farm Water Management Project.
USTR will soon accept tariff exclusion requests
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will begin accepting tariff exclusion requests on Oct. 31 for Chinese imports subject to an additional 15 percent tariff that took effect Sept. 1.
What banking CCOs need to know about new terrorist funding order
Impacted financial institutions, including cryptocurrency exchangers, may want to review know-your-customer policies and anti-money laundering compliance in light of President Trump’s executive order.
PCAOB sanctions Marcum over auditor independence issues
The PCAOB has settled disciplinary actions with audit firm Marcum, an affiliated firm, and its former auditor independence leader over independence violations.
How industries are responding to the escalating U.S.-China trade war
While the escalating tit-for-tat trade war and increasing tariff rate hikes between the U.S. and China cannot be controlled, proactive companies are learning to swing with the punches—from diversifying their supply chains to shifting their production lines elsewhere.
Bob Ward on pros of targeted sanctions
Bob Ward, director of trade compliance at Wesco International, explains to columnist Tom Fox the benefits of targeted sanctions and how compliance practitioners can properly respond to such.