The Treasury Department received mixed feedback about its decision to delay new regulations that were set to make investment advisers subject to anti-money-laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) requirements, a Biden-era effort that was meant to prevent criminals from hiding money in the U.S. and sanctioned companies from accessing sensitive technology through investments in American firms (see 2509230035 and 2507240021).
The U.S. has given Syria a new 180-day sanctions waiver under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 to help the war-torn country continue its rebuilding effort, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said Nov. 10.
The Australian Sanctions Office released eight advisory notes Nov. 6 to "assist the regulated community understand their sanctions risks," the agency said in a press release. Topics include the risks associated with exporting drones to Russia and the cyber risks of North Korean IT workers to Australian businesses.
A bipartisan group of 12 senators led by Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., introduced a resolution Nov. 6 welcoming the Trump administration’s recent decision to sanction two major Russian oil companies to pressure Moscow to seek peace with Ukraine (see 2510220050).
President Donald Trump said Nov. 7 that he’s considering giving Hungary an exemption from sanctions that his administration recently imposed on two major Russian energy companies.
The Treasury Department won’t issue a license to Gunvor Corp. to operate Lukoil’s international energy business in the event of its sale, the agency said on social media last week. “As long as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin continues the senseless killings, the Kremlin’s puppet, Gunvor, will never get a license to operate and profit,” Treasury said.
The Defense Department will transfer oversight of its defense export functions from its policy head to its acquisition chief as part of a broader bureaucracy streamlining effort, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Nov. 7.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation renewed a Russia-related license this week that authorizes certain payments involving sanctioned credit or financial institutions. The license, which was set to expire Nov. 6, was extended for two years through Nov. 7, 2027. OFSI also revised the definition of "designated credit or financial institution" and the license's reporting requirements.
The EU this week published its fifth annual report on the implementation and enforcement of EU trade policy, outlining steps that the bloc has taken to remove trade barriers, the status of various trade agreements, trade trends from the past year, and more.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned a network of people and entities for their ties to North Korean money laundering, sanctions evasion and information technology worker fraud. The agency said the network has helped North Korea generate revenue for its weapons programs.