On May 23, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued General License No. 25 under the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, marking a measured but far-reaching reconfiguration of...more
6/3/2025
/ Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Foreign Policy ,
International Trade ,
Investment ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Syria ,
U.S. Treasury
In one of the first enforcement actions of 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued a final order against Haas Automation, Inc., a leading manufacturer of computer numerical...more
2/5/2025
/ Blocked Person ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Compliance ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Entity List ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
SDN List ,
US Trade Policies
In a significant development underscoring the U.S. government’s continued efforts to counter Russia’s destabilizing activities, the U.S. Department of the Treasury recently announced the designation of Gazprombank as a...more
1/7/2025
/ Banks ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Financial Transactions ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
U.S. Treasury
In one of the more notable enforcement actions of 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) recently imposed a $1,104,408 civil penalty on a U.S. person for 75 separate violations...more
12/5/2024
/ Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Fines ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
ITSR ,
Money Services Business ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Sanction Violations ,
SDN List
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) recently settled with American Life Insurance Company (“ALICO”), a Delaware-based subsidiary of MetLife, Inc., for $178,421, addressing apparent...more
12/4/2024
/ Compliance ,
Corruption ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Policy ,
Health Insurance ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
ITSR ,
Life Insurance ,
MetLife ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Penalties ,
Politically Exposed Person (PEPs) ,
Sanction Violations ,
U.S. Treasury ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE) ,
White Collar Crimes
In late August 2024, the UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”), a department within HM Treasury, imposed a monetary penalty of £15,000 on Integral Concierge Services Limited (“ICSL”)—a UK-based property...more
10/11/2024
/ Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Compliance ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) ,
Property Management Companies ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
UK ,
Ukraine
On September 30, 2024, Quantum Corporation—a U.S.-based technology company— reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) to resolve 45 separate violations of the...more
10/9/2024
/ Antiboycott Requirements ,
Boycotts ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Policy ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Settlement ,
Strict Liability ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The Group of Seven (“G7”) has taken a critical step in bolstering its collective enforcement of export controls and sanctions against the Russian Federation by issuing a historic joint industry guidance document. This move is...more
On July 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) published two (2) new rules in the Federal Register that significantly expand the scope of existing “U.S. Person” prohibitions...more
On July 3, 2024, the Council of the European Union (“EU Council”) officially promulgated a new set of best practices (“best practices” or “guidance”) for organizations seeking to comply with the latest sanctions regulations...more
On July 3, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) announced that it had amended entries for a multitude of entities sanctioned under the Treasury’s Russian Harmful Foreign...more
On June 14, 2024, U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement, Matthew Axelrod, officially issued an order activating the suspended portion of a civil penalty that was imposed on U.S-based freight...more
6/26/2024
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Policy ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Settlement Agreements ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
On April 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce officially published a final rule in the Federal Register that formally incorporates a medical device license exception into the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) for...more
5/16/2024
/ Belarus ,
Commodities ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Policy ,
Healthcare ,
Licensing Rules ,
Medical Devices ,
New Rules ,
Russia ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Ukraine
On March 28, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) released updated guidance to freight forwarders specifically outlining their responsibilities under the aegis of the Export...more
On April 19, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) published an interim final rule (“IFR”) that officially codifies certain changes to the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”)...more
On February 1, 2024, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. promulgated Executive Order 14115 (“E.O. 14115), the effect of which is to impose economic sanctions on individuals ostensibly contributing to gratuitous violence and...more
Wabtec Corporation (“Wabtec”)—a global manufacturer and supplier of rail technology headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—recently settled an administrative enforcement proceeding with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s...more
2/8/2024
/ Antiboycott Requirements ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Compliance ,
Corruption ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Regulatory Violations ,
US Trade Policies
On December 31, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed the the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”) into law to address the ongoing exploitation of the ethnic minority Uyghur population by the government of the...more
1/25/2024
/ China ,
Compliance ,
Corruption ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Entity List ,
Exploitation ,
Forced Labor ,
Foreign Policy ,
Human Rights ,
Popular ,
Supply Chain ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
On December 22, 2023, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. issued an executive order—”Taking Additional Steps With Respect to the Russian Federation’s Harmful Activities”—that subjects certain foreign financial institutions that...more
1/9/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
CAPTA List ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Transactions ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
U.S. Treasury
As we have repeatedly noted in the context of other blog posts and webinars in which various representatives of The Volkov Law Group have participated, the violation of existing U.S. sanctions and export control regulations...more
12/8/2023
/ Compliance ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Failure to Comply ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
Semiconductors ,
Ukraine
On November 3, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) announced that a settlement had been reached with Forta —a domestic synthetic fiber manufacturer—for its conduct in agreeing to a...more
On November 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) released a new joint notice concerning...more
11/27/2023
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Control Reform (ECR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Joint Statements ,
Popular ,
Russia ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) ,
U.S. Treasury
On September 27, 2023, the United States Department of Commerce’s Office of Antiboycott Compliance, a division of the Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”), publicized an unanticipated and relatively rare enforcement action...more
9/13/2023
/ Antiboycott Requirements ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Compliance ,
Corruption ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Popular ,
US Trade Policies