Tagged: sanctions

November 12, 2026 @ 11:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Analysis by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs has mapped the Chinese banking channels Iranian buyers have been directed to use when settling payments for goods from Chinese suppliers. Drawing on more than 200,000 leaked trade documents published by WikiIran, the research identifies the institutions named… Read More

November 10, 2026 @ 1:01 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on November 5, 2026, designated four individuals and 41 entities for providing material support to the Prince Group Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), a Cambodia-based network previously sanctioned for cyber-enabled fraud, money laundering, and… Read More

November 9, 2026 @ 1:29 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The European Union has established a specialized Crypto Sanctions Task Force to detect and disrupt efforts to bypass its financial restrictions through digital assets, as announced by Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque following the tenth meeting of the High-Level Expert Group on Union Restrictive Measures. The… Read More

October 26, 2026 @ 9:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Israel’s central bank has publicly rejected a proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prepare for possible international sanctions by building an alternative financial system that relies on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. The unusual rebuke arrived just days before the country’s parliamentary elections, underscoring deep… Read More

October 9, 2026 @ 11:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The United Kingdom on 8 October 2026 added 38 new entries to its Russia sanctions list, with a portion of the package aimed at cryptocurrency exchanges and payment services suspected of helping Moscow route funds around existing restrictions. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said… Read More

October 7, 2026 @ 12:34 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan has placed the Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex under an asset freeze as part of a broader package of restrictions tied to the war in Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on October 2, 2026. The measures were adopted under the Foreign Exchange and… Read More

September 30, 2026 @ 10:19 am By JD Alois  |  

This week, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, part of the US Senate, published a report on Iran and its use of crypto and shadow banking to evade financial sanctions. The report focused much of its information on Iran’s use of Tether, the issuer of USDT,… Read More

September 28, 2026 @ 11:30 am By JD Alois  |  

Tether is touting its countermeasures against the rogue regime of Iran in line with the ongoing sanctions being applied by the US. According to a post by Tether, nearly $550 million in Iran-linked USD₮ has been frozen since the beginning of the year. Around $344… Read More

September 18, 2026 @ 7:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

US officials have added an Iranian digital asset platform to the sanctions list, saying it helped move large bitcoin payments tied to Tehran’s security apparatus. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the designations on September 17, 2026, as part of Operation Economic… Read More

September 11, 2026 @ 1:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On September 9, 2026, US authorities took action against Xinbi Guarantee, a Chinese-language marketplace investigators describe as a central hub for Southeast Asia’s industrial-scale online fraud economy. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) listed the platform as a significant transnational criminal organization and also designated… Read More

September 5, 2026 @ 10:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Geyser, a US-linked Bitcoin crowdfunding site, has refused a campaign from Cuba Bitcoin after an automated review labeled the submitted wallet a sanctions failure. The grassroots group made the rejection public on September 3, 2026, calling the explanation empty and arguing that origin, not the… Read More

August 24, 2026 @ 4:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent says they are already seeing results in Operation Economic Outcast targeting Iran. Yesterday, Bessent announced the US would pursue new sanctions and actions to undermine economic activity supporting Iran. While many sanctions are already in place, Iran has been… Read More

August 24, 2026 @ 11:03 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent issued a statement declaring, “We are now entering the endgame,” when it comes to the war with Iran. Bessent promised to launch the greatest financial offensive ever targeting another nation while stating the Trump administration had destroyed… Read More

August 8, 2026 @ 9:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed fresh restrictions on two digital asset platforms linked to Iranian activity. The measures, announced on August 7, 2026, form part of the broader “Economic Fury” initiative designed to intensify economic… Read More

August 4, 2026 @ 3:13 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A Dubai-based cryptocurrency platform with ties to Iranian interests has been reported to have transferred substantial digital assets to Binance, raising questions about potential efforts to circumvent international financial restrictions. According to a detailed investigation, the unlicensed exchange known as Shelbit, operated by Iranian expatriate… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 5:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Elliptic has pointed out that A7A5 emerged as a specialized digital asset designed to help Russian firms navigate international restrictions. Pegged to the ruble and launched in early 2025 by entities tied to sanctioned Russian interests, including a state-linked bank and a controversial figure with… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 3:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on two Iranian companies central to what it describes as an illicit insurance program targeting commercial ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz. Announced on July 29, 2026, the designations target… Read More

July 30, 2026 @ 1:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The European Union has expanded its restrictive measures targeting Russia’s financial networks by adding the cryptocurrency platform HTX to a list of entities facing transaction prohibitions. This step forms part of the bloc’s 21st sanctions package against Russia, adopted in response to the ongoing conflict… Read More

July 27, 2026 @ 10:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

TRM Labs has noted that on July 24, 2026, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) significantly widened its Iran-related sanctions by designating additional individuals and companies linked to Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani and the associated Dot One commercial network…. Read More

July 27, 2026 @ 8:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Chainalysis has pointed out that on July 23, 2026, the European Union adopted its 21st package of sanctions against Russia, representing the most extensive set of designations in four years and encompassing 218 listings overall. The measures focus heavily on disrupting Russia’s financial systems that… Read More