Sanctions Insights
Client AlertFinCEN Targets Three Mexico-Based Financial Institutions with Sanctions Under New Authority to Address Money Laundering Associated with Fentanyl Trafficking
On June 25, 2025, FinCEN issued its first orders under the 2024 FEND Off Fentanyl Act (FOFA), imposing special measures against three Mexican financial firms.
Client AlertTrump Administration Issues Broad Sanctions Relief for Syria, Effectively Lifting 14 Years of Comprehensive Economic Sanctions – U.S. Export Controls Remain in Place for Now as Europe Forges Ahead and Removes Most Syria Trade Controls
On May 23, 2025, 10 days after President Trump announced his directive to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria during his visit to Saudia Arabia last month, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Syria-related General License 25 (GL 25), which provides broad sanctions relief by authorizing, subject to certain exceptions
Client AlertU.S. Sanctions Enforcement: 2024 Lessons Learned and 2025 Expectations
As the third month of the second Trump administration comes to a close, the lack of any public enforcement action by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctions watchers wondering about the status of enforcement under the Trump administration and whether shifting sanctions priorities will have an impact on the focus or volume of future OFAC enforcement actions.
- Trump Administration Issues Broad Sanctions Relief for Syria, Effectively Lifting 14 Years of Comprehensive Economic Sanctions – U.S. Export Controls Remain in Place for Now as Europe Forges Ahead and Removes Most Syria Trade Controls
- Enforcement of China’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law Strengthens Through Private Cause of Action and New Implementing Rules
- U.S. Sanctions Enforcement: 2024 Lessons Learned and 2025 Expectations
- OFAC Extends Recordkeeping Requirements from Five to 10 Years; Issues Paperwork Reduction Act Request for Comments
- The United States Imposes New Sanctions and Export Control Restrictions to Further Constrain Russia’s War Efforts, Including by Targeting Supply Chains and Expanding Secondary Sanctions Authorities
- U.S. Authorizes Secondary Sanctions on Banks Supporting Russia’s Military-Industrial Base
- OFAC Issues Omnibus Accounts Enforcement Case Involving Russia and Other Sanctions Programs
- Tri-Seal Compliance Note Stresses Importance of Non-U.S. Persons Complying with U.S. Sanctions and Export Control Laws
- UK Sanctions Year in Review 2023
- EU Sanctions Year in Review 2023
- U.S. Sanctions Enforcement: 2023 Trends and Lessons Learned
- OFAC Year in Review 2023 – Part 1
- U.S. Authorizes Secondary Sanctions on Banks Supporting Russia’s Military-Industrial Base
- The Department of Commerce Enhances Focus on Human Rights,
- Impact of Sanctions on English Contractual Performance – Case Update
- U.S. Sanctions Enforcement: 2022 Trends and Lessons Learned
- Sanctions Year in Review 2022 – Part II: Russia
- OFAC Year in Review 2022 – Part 1
- Enforcement of EU Sanctions – Soon New Powers for the European Public Prosecutor’s Office?
- Managing Sanctions Risks Through Express Contract Provisions
- What Contractors Should Know About NY’s Russia Sanctions
- Global Sanctions on Russia Escalate in Response to Russia’s Continued Bloody Invasion of Ukraine
- U.S., EU, and UK Sanctions on Russia Escalate in Response to Russia’s Continued Invasion of Ukraine
- UK Expands Russia Sanctions Regime in Anticipation of Ukraine Invasion
- What the BEIS Reshuffle Means for the UK’s Investment Screening Regime
- UK Authorities Issue Red Alert on Russia Sanctions Evasion Typologies
- Risks Increase as UK Government Seeks to Introduce Strict Liability for Sanction Breaches
- M&A in 2022 and Trends for 2023
- Sanctions Legislation Watch: What to Expect from Congress as 2021 Comes to a Close
- No Surprises, But Fascinating Statistics on the Growth of Sanctions, as Treasury Releases its 2021 Sanctions Review
- DOJ Announces Renewed Focus on Export Control and Sanctions Enforcement
- Lessons Learned from OFAC’s 2020 Enforcement Actions
- OFAC 2020 Year in Review
- Biden Administration Issues Executive Order Re-Imposing Sanctions on Burma
- Mounting U.S. Sanctions and Chinese Countermeasures Create New Legal and Reputational Risks for Third-Country Businesses
- Trump Administration Continues Its Aggressive Approach Toward Chinese Military Company Sanctions
- Trump Administration Broadens Sanctions on Russian Pipeline Projects (Again)
- Hong Kong in the Crosshairs: Secretary of State Submits Hong Kong Autonomy Act Report to Congress, Paving Path for Secondary Sanctions
- Pay at Your Own Risk: OFAC Issues Advisory on Potential Sanctions Risks Stemming from Ransomware Payments
- China’s “Unreliable Entity List” Creates New Countervailing Risks for Companies Navigating U.S. Sanctions and Long-Arm Enforcement
- Defense Bill Aims Additional Sanctions at Turkey, Russia, and China
- OFAC Issues Advisory Highlighting Art Trade No “Goghs”
- OFAC Issues New Ransomware Guidance and First Sanctions Designation Against Virtual Currency Exchange
- UK Announces First Sanctions Under Global Human Rights Regime
- Sanctions Spree: New Round of Sanctions against China and Russia
- OFAC Penalizes Communications Systems Exporter for Sudan Sales and Related Services
- Not So Fast…Aiming to Prevent Their Completion, the Trump Administration Paves Way for Expanded Sanctions on Russian Pipeline Projects
- U.S. Staffs Up for Sanctions Crackdown as Companies Face Fresh Scrutiny
- What Contractors Should Know About NY’s Russia Sanctions
- Compliance Group of the Year: Morrison Foerster
- How an Oligarch May Have Recruited the FBI Agent Who Investigated Him
- Former FBI Agent Charged With Taking Payments From Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska
- MoFo’s National Security Practice Named a 2022 Practice Group of the Year by Law360
- 2022 Year in Review: Law360 Recognizes Morrison Foerster for Market-Leading Work and Diversity + Inclusion Initiatives
- Key Takeaways From 2022: Insights From Advisors, Partners, and Readers
- Sanctions: The Financial Front Line
- Possible Changes in Sanctions Policies Under the New U.S. Administration
- Tricky Russia Investigations Likely Behind Drop in OFAC Enforcement
- Former OFAC Assistant Director for Regulatory Affairs Elyse B. Martin Joins Morrison Foerster
- U.S. Staffs Up for Sanctions Crackdown as Companies Face Fresh Scrutiny
- MVP: Morrison Foerster’s John Smith
- The West Sanctioned Russia’s Billionaires. Now They Are Fighting Back.
- Will Sanctions Against Russia End the War in Ukraine?
- OFAC Pushes Continuous Monitoring in Enforcement Action
- MoFo Hires Ex-OFAC Atty Rachel Fiorill
- Former OFAC Enforcement Section Chief Rachel Fiorill Joins Morrison Foerster
- Sanctions Flurry Keeps National Security Lawyers on Edge
- China’s Support for Russia Galvanizes U.S., Europe as Washington Examines Once-Unthinkable Sanctions Against Beijing
- New Sanctions Add Pressure on Russia but Don’t Shut Off Business
- How Will Sanctions on Russian Banks Hit Latin America?
- Compliance Hot Spots: MoFo Lawyers on Managing Risk in Russia Sanctions Crisis
- Banks with Crypto Exposure Should Act to Mitigate Risk of Russia Sanctions Evasion – Experts
- DOJ Launches Crackdown to Enforce Russia Sanctions
- Russia Eyes Sanctions Workarounds in Energy, Gold, Crypto
- White House Steers Clear of Russia Oil, Gas Sanctions for Now
- U.S. Escalates Sanctions with a Freeze on Russian Central Bank Assets
- U.S. Targets Major Russian Banks and Tech Sector with Sweeping Sanctions and Export Controls Following Ukraine Invasion
- Companies Are on Edge as Russia Sanctions Escalate
- Biden’s Sanctions Red Line: Hurting Americans
- U.S. Targets Major Russian Banks and Tech Sector with Sweeping Sanctions and Export Controls Following Ukraine Invasion
- Decoding the West’s Sanctions Plan
- When It Comes to Putin, Sanctions May Have Limits as a Tool of Coercion
- Cryptocurrency: The Latest Conundrum in Navigating U.S. Sanctions
- Crypto Exchange Blacklisting To Test US Sanctions’ Teeth
- Transactions Tied to Afghan Government Risky, Humanitarian Aid Safe, Former U.S. Sanctions Official Says
- Chinese Firms May Be Able to Hit Back at Foreign Partners Under New Anti-Sanctions Law
- Sanctions: What Are They Good For?
- U.S. Tiptoes Through Sanctions Minefield Toward Iran Nuclear Deal
- Sanctioning Russia is Easier Said Than Done
- New U.S. Sanctions on Russia Raise Compliance Costs and Risks
- Biden Administration Weighs Blowback on Nord Stream 2 Sanctions
- U.S. Reimposes Sanctions on Diamond Trader Gertler
- Tough Sanctions, Then a Mysterious Last-Minute Turnabout
- Ex-OFAC Counsel, Sanctions Pro Joins Morrison & Foerster
- Trump’s Inexplicable Crusade to Help Iran Evade Sanctions
- Global Banks in Hong Kong Breathe Easier Over U.S. Sanctions
- Steps to Take After OFAC and FinCEN’s Warnings on Ransomware Payoffs
- ACAMS: The Latest on Sanctions, Enforcement Actions, and Emerging Trends
- What U.S. Sanctions Mean for Iran’s Coronavirus Fight
- NICE Actimize Engage 2025
- Trade & Sanctions Compliance for the Oil and Gas Industry
- WSJ CCO Council Summit
- 19th Annual Flagship Conference on Economic Sanctions Enforcement and Compliance
- 19th Annual Flagship Conference on Economic Sanctions Enforcement and Compliance
- 19th Annual Flagship Conference on Economic Sanctions Enforcement and Compliance
- 2025 ACAMS The Assembly Hollywood
- 2025 ACAMS The Assembly Hollywood Conference
- ACAMS Baltics Symposium 2025
- North America Auto Sector Virtual Roundtable
- Ethisphere's 2025 Global Ethics Summit
- Trade & Sanctions Compliance for the Oil and Gas Industry
- ACAMS Baltics Symposium 2025
- New York Forum on Economic Sanctions
- New York Forum on Economic Sanctions
- The 26th Hong Kong In-House Community Congress 2024: Sanctions and Export Controls
- Preventing Sanctions Evasion: overcoming new due diligence, screening and compliance challenges amid intensifying enforcement
- 2024 ACAMS The Assembly Las Vegas
- ChinaBio® Partnering Forum 2024: Top Five Risks and Opportunities to Watch in China Life Sciences in the Coming Year
- Join MoFo for a CLE Webinar on the Enforcement Risks of Emerging Technologies in Electric Vehicles
- Sanctions Evasion: Raising the Threshold in Sanctions Risks
- C5 European Forum on Global Economic Sanctions
- Supply Chain Compliance in a Complex World
- 18th Annual Flagship Conference on Economic Sanctions Enforcement and Compliance
- Disclosures: Strategic and Practical Considerations.
- Financial Market Association's 2024 Securities Compliance Seminar
- 2024 ACAMS The Assembly Hollywood Conference
- 2024 ACAMS The Assembly Hollywood Conference
- ACAMS Baltics Symposium 2024
- The Economic Sanctions Summit 2024
- Practising Law Institute's FinTech 2023
- Learning from Others’ Experiences: How Deficient Sanctions Risk Assessments Led to Enforcement Actions
- DC Economic Sanctions
- Economic Crime Congress 2023
- Webinar: One Year In: Details and Impact of Sanctions Against Russia
- Sanctions Conference: A Year in Review and Looking Ahead
- Former U.S. Government Officials Discuss High Stakes Risks Confronting Organizations Operating in Europe
- ACAMS Las Vegas Conference
- ACAMS Las Vegas Conference
- The American Institute's 7th Annual Canadian Forum on Global Economic Sanctions
- ACAMS Europe Conference
- Peer-to-Peer Conversation (BELA Exclusive): The New Russia Sanctions and What it Means for Companies
- New Russia Sanctions: Details and Impact
- ACI's U.S. Economic Sanctions Enforcement and Compliance Conference
- In Focus: Managing an Effective & Rapid Response to New Sanctions Designations
- Update on U.S. Sanctions
- American Conference Institute’s Asia Economic Sanctions Summit 2021
- Economic Sanctions Year in Review: Lessons Learned from Recent Enforcement Actions
- What is the Impact of New Sanctions and Continued Pressure?
- AmCham Webinar: Implications on the Recent PRC Sanctions Development
- Sanctions Space Summit
- European Summit on Economic Sanctions Risk & Compliance
- CBSA Webinar: Update on U.S. Sanctions Key Developments, and U.S. Bank Regulatory Regime for Non-U.S. Banks
- Impact of Recent U.S. Sanctions and Trade Developments on PE Funds and Companies with Operations in Asia
- The US, European and UK Sanctions Enforcement Landscape
- The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), U.S. Department of the Treasury
- Big Take DC: The Little Sanctions Office That Could
- Sanctions with Former OFAC Head John Smith
- Are Big Sanctions Coming for a Chinese Tech Company?
- Russian Sanctions in Response to the War in Ukraine: Considerations for Public Companies
- Sanctions: The Makers and the Breakers
- Understanding OFAC and the Different Dimensions of Sanctions
- Jennifer Fowler and John Smith on Working on Sanctions in Government and Preparing for Transition
- Iran Watch Listen: The U.S. Treasury Department and the Future of U.S. Sanctions on Iran
- MoForecast: Predictions on OFAC
- Do Economic Sanctions Work?