Throughout the eight years of the Obama administration, the development and implementation of economic sanctions was a key element of U.S. foreign and national security policy. This strategy continued into the post-election...more
2/1/2017
/ Barack Obama ,
Cuba ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Embargo ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
National Security ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
P5+1 Nations ,
Russia ,
Secretary of State ,
State Sponsors of Terrorism ,
Syria ,
Trump Administration ,
Ukraine
On January 13, 2017, President Obama and the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the interim lifting of sanctions on Sudan, with a path to a permanent revocation of sanctions in six...more
1/19/2017
/ Barack Obama ,
Darfur ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Exports ,
General Licenses ,
ITAR ,
New Guidance ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Revocation ,
State Sponsors of Terrorism ,
Sudan
After nearly two decades, the United States has formally ended economic sanctions on Burma (Myanmar). Citing substantial efforts undertaken to promote democracy, President Barack Obama issued an executive order, on October 7,...more
10/15/2016
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Barack Obama ,
Burma ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Transactions ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Investment ,
Imports ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Patriot Act ,
SDN List ,
US Department of State
The U.S. government frequently uses sanctions as a key tool in pursuing its foreign policy agenda. As a result, transactions involving sanctioned individuals and entities (Sanctioned Persons) are often prohibited. The...more
7/5/2016
/ Acquisitions ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Exemptive Relief ,
Licenses ,
Mergers ,
No-Action Relief ,
Nokia ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Short-Form Mergers ,
Tender Offers
In response to Burma’s peaceful and competitive elections in November 2015, on May 18, 2016, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) further eased U.S. sanctions against Burma (Myanmar). These...more
5/24/2016
/ Burma ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Exports ,
Financial Institutions ,
Foreign Investment ,
General Licenses ,
Myanmar ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
SDN List ,
State-Owned Enterprises
In the wake of the Panama Papers controversy, the U.S. government has taken major steps this month to promote financial transparency. First, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) finalized its proposed rule issued...more
5/17/2016
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Banks ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Ownership Requirements ,
Popular ,
Transparency ,
White Collar Crimes
On March 31, 2016, the U.K. launched the new Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) within HM Treasury. OFSI, which assumes the financial sanctions responsibilities previously carried out by HM Treasury’s Asset...more
On March 15, 2016, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced regulatory amendments that further eased U.S....more
On January 27, 2016, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) further eased U.S. sanctions and export control regulations...more
On January 16, 2016, the International Atomic Energy Agency verified that Iran had complied with the nuclear-related technical aspects of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action it had to complete before the first phase of...more
1/28/2016
/ Banking Sector ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Foreign Entities ,
IAEA ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
SDN List
While economic sanctions against Iran, Russia and Cuba have dominated the headlines over the past year, sanctions remain a dynamic component of U.S. foreign policy on other fronts. In 2015, President Barack Obama issued three...more
1/23/2016
/ Burundi ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cuba ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Policy ,
Human Rights ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Obama Administration ,
Russia ,
Venezuela