Tagged: sanctions

July 28, 2025 @ 4:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In the ecosystem of blockchain and cryptocurrency, a new entity has emerged and is making a significant impact: A7A5, a Russian ruble-pegged stablecoin that has gained traction, now reportedly facilitating over $1 billion in daily transactions. Launched earlier this year in Kyrgyzstan, A7A5 has reportedly… Read More

July 3, 2025 @ 11:13 am By Omar Faridi  |  

On July 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Aeza Group, a Russia-based bulletproof hosting (BPH) services provider, for its role in facilitating cybercriminal activities targeting victims in the United States and globally. Bulletproof hosting… Read More

March 21, 2025 @ 11:47 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of Treasury has announced that it has removed the economic sanctions applied to Tornado Cash, a crypto mixer. Tornado Cash, a decentralized platform, enables users to cloak crypto activity to a certain degree. In 2222, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)… Read More

March 5, 2025 @ 3:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Iran-based Behrouz Parsarad, the sole administrator of Nemesis, an online darknet marketplace, which was subject of an international law enforcement operation and “was taken down in 2024.” Prior to its takedown by… Read More

February 22, 2025 @ 5:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The blockchain and crypto ecosystem last year was marked by significant illicit activity, with sanctioned entities and jurisdictions playing a major role, according to Chainalysis’s latest report, entitled “2025 Crypto Crime Trends: Sanctions.” The blockchain analytics firm reveals that $15.8 billion in crypto flowed to… Read More

February 11, 2025 @ 8:16 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), has partnered with Australia and the UK to sanction Zservers as it is an enabler of LockBit, a Russian ransomware group. LockBit is said to be the culprit in the attack against the… Read More

December 17, 2024 @ 12:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced sanctions against two individuals and a single entity regarding money laundering to the benefit of North Korea. OFAC says that Lu Huaying and Zhang Jian, working out of the UAE and… Read More

October 24, 2024 @ 9:34 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

The latest edition of LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ Taking the Pulse of Major Sanctions Lists suggests a heightened level of sanctions activity may be the new normal. The report analyzes activity from the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and… Read More

October 1, 2024 @ 10:43 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning individuals and entities affiliated with Evil Corp, a cybercriminal operation based in Russia. OFAC is taking the action in partnership with the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and… Read More

September 27, 2024 @ 9:34 am By Omar Faridi  |  

On September 26, 2024, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Russia-based exchange Cryptex and Sergey Sergeevich Ivanov (a.k.a. UAPS a.k.a TALEON), who facilitated laundering “for fraud shops, ransomware payments, darknet markets, and other criminal actors.” Following these developments,… Read More

March 26, 2024 @ 3:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned thirteen entities and two individuals for operating in the financial services and technology sectors of the Russian Federation economy “including persons developing or offering services in virtual assets that enable the evasion of… Read More

January 23, 2024 @ 12:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned Alexander Ermakov for the 2022 ransomware attack against Medibank Private Limited, an Australian insurer. The US worked in concert with Australia and the United Kingdom on the designation. Ermakov is believed… Read More

January 22, 2024 @ 5:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed a fifth round of sanctions on Hamas since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. According to OFAC, the sanctions have targeted Hamas-affiliated financial exchanges in Gaza, their owners and associates,… Read More

November 4, 2023 @ 2:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On November 3, 2023, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Russian national Ekaterina Zhdanova for using cryptocurrency “to launder money on behalf of Russian elites, ransomware groups, and other bad actors.” Chainalysis has examined the three Bitcoin… Read More

November 4, 2023 @ 7:21 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned Russian national Ekaterina Zhdanova for utilizing crypto to launder and move money on behalf of “Russian elites.” Strict sanctions have been enacted by the US and other nations following Russia’s unprovoked… Read More

August 28, 2023 @ 8:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

P2P digital currency exchanges have reportedly assisted crypto traders with circumventing globally-enforced sanctions against Russia’s banking institutions. Crypto exchange Binance‘s recent activities might worsen its regulatory challenges in the US. The recent crackdown attempts to place a ban on transactions completed with payment cards that… Read More

October 7, 2022 @ 12:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

Sanctions continue to tighten on Russia as the war drags on with the Ukrainians rapidly regaining their territory. Russia recently held sham elections in several provinces in an attempt to show that inhabitants want to be a part of Russia. While President Putin said he… Read More

September 13, 2022 @ 8:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

This is interesting. At some point today, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), part of the US Department of Treasury, posted an FAQ on Tornado Cash, a crypto mixer that was recently the target of an action by OFAC. Last month, Tornado Cash was… Read More

September 9, 2022 @ 9:48 am By JD Alois  |  

Last month, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) applied sanctions to Tornado Cash, a crypto mixing platform. The second sanctions hitting a mixer, the enforcement action is still the first of its kind as the code running Tornado.cash was open… Read More

August 23, 2022 @ 10:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

  The sanctioning of open source crypto mixer Tornado.cash has generated much scrutiny and questions about the legality of a governmental entity punishing code. On August 8th, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against the crypto mixer, citing occurrences… Read More