Tag Archives: sanctions
OFSI updates on sanctions approach
OFSI has updated its website to reflect the latest legislation and guidance on how the UK will implement on the one hand EU and on the other UN and domestic sanctions in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Legislation has been made under SAMLA to take effect on a no-deal Brexit in relation to Burma, […]
Treasury Committee reports on AML and sanctions
The Treasury Committee has published a report looking at AML supervision and sanctions implementation, as a response to the inquiry into Economic Crime. The report covers the elements of the inquiry that addressed AML and the sanctions regime. It looked both at the scale of crime and how regulation addresses the risks. The report makes several interesting […]
Wolfsberg Group publishes sanctions screening guidance
The Wolfsberg Group has published new guidance on how financial institutions should carry out their sanctions screening. It says its guidance is intended to help institutions see how screening can form an effective part of a wider sanctions compliance programme. The guidance looks at: what screening is – and the fundamentals of transaction and customer […]
Government updates Blocking Order regulations
The Extraterritorial US Legislation (Sanctions against Cuba, Iran and Libya) Protection of Trading Interests)(Amendment) Order 2018 will take effect on 1 February 2019. It updates a 1996 order to reflect updates to the EU Blocking Regulation – which makes it an offence for EU companies and individuals to comply with US sanctions imposed on Cuba, Iran […]
Commons launches sanctions policy inquiry
The Foreign Affairs Committee in the Commons has launched an inquiry on the future of UK sanctions policy. Given SAMLA’s Royal Assent, the Committee is to look at different options for the UK’s sanctions policy post-Brexit. It is calling for written submissions on several elements of sanctions regimes, including views on the advantages and disadvantages […]
Treasury starts chemical weapons sanctions regime
Treasury has enabled a regime to implement the EU Regulation on financial sanctions against persons, entities and bodies involved in proliferation and use of chemical weapons. There are not any designated persons on the list as yet.
OFSI publishes annual review
OFSI has published its annual review covering the period from April 2017-March 2018. The review covers: that 29 regimes were implemented during the year, with the most active list by far being North Korea (with 96 additions, and other regimes accounting for less than 30, but the lists with the largest number of sanctioned targets […]
OFSI reminds on frozen asset reporting
OFSI has reminded all firms that hold or control funds or economic resources belonging to, owned, held or controlled by a designated person to provide a report to OFSI by 12 October. The report should cover both the UK and overseas where they are subject to UK financial sanctions legislation and should report the value […]
Sanctions and AML Act article
We have written an article setting out the detail of the Sanctions and AML Act.
PSR reports on initiatives to protect public from APP scams
The Payment Systems Regulator has published a summary of measures it is currently working on with other bodies to protect customers from authorised push payment scams – where fraudsters trick people into sending them money. These ongoing or imminent measures include the enhancement of sanctions data quality confirmation of payee guidelines for identity, verification, authentication […]
FCA fines Canara Bank for AML failings
FCA has fined Canara Bank £896,100 for failings in its AML systems, and has restricted it from accepting deposits from new customers for 147 days. FCA found that, for a period of over 3 years, the banks failed to maintain adequate systems and did not take sufficient steps to remedy weaknesses that it had been […]
OFSI updates on reporting
OFSI has updated its guidance on reporting to it. There is a legal obligation to report to OFSI: known or suspected breaches of financial sanctions; knowing or suspecting that a person is a designated person; or knowing or suspecting that an entity holds frozen assets where that knowledge or suspicion arises in the course of business. OFSI’s […]
Government publishes Sanctions and AML Bill: exceptions and licenses Policy Note
In support of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, the FCO has published out a Policy Note which describes the government’s intended approach to: licensing applications in relation to asset freezes, including how it intends to deal with applications it can foresee, general licenses and common grounds for application; maintaining a similar framework to the current one […]
Chancellor calls for international approach to tackling corruption
Philip Hammond is to use the G7 and IMF meetings in Washington this week to call for: international agreement on denying North Korea access to finance. He wants all jurisdictions to push their banks and insurance companies to be more alert to spotting new methods of deception that attempt to bypass restrictions; and the IMF to target global corruption. He […]
Treasury Committee starts economic crime inquiry
The Treasury Committee has announced a new inquiry into economic crime. One part of the inquiry will look at the AML and sanctions regimes in the UK and how firms, individuals and the wider economy are impacted by them and the UK legislative and regulatory framework around them. The other will look at the economic […]
EU updates North Korea sanctions
The EU has added to its list of designated persons in relation to North Korea to align its list with UN measures. The EU has already autonomously listed several others. The Council now intends to ensure swift transposition of the changes.
FCA speaks on global capital market regulation and AMLTech
Megan Butler has spoken on the fundamental importance of co-ordination between national regulators, particularly in dealing with financial crime and cyber-threats. She looked at the particular benefits and risks that machine learning and algorithmic trading have brought. She stressed the importance of firms reporting material breaches, and the need to let FCA know when they […]
Lords put controls in Sanctions Bill
The House of Lords has tabled its list of desired amendments to the Sanctions and AML Bill in advance of its Committee hearing on 21 November. The Lords is concerned at the amount of power given to Ministers to make secondary legislation and is seeking to impose controls on the ability and rationale for using the powers.
Treasury implements Venezuela sanctions regime
The Government has made legislation creating a financial sanctions regime in relation to Venezuela and OFSI has published a financial sanctions notice, although there are as yet no designated persons under the regime. The changes follow an EU decision.
Sanctions and AML bill
We have written a summary of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill as it starts its Parliamentary process.
Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill introduced in Parliament
The new Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill (the Bill) was introduced in Parliament on 18 October, following the announcement of the Bill in August. This Bill seeks to enable the UK to continue to comply with the current UN sanctions regime after Brexit, by covering matters currently deal with through the European Communities Act 1972 (which will be […]
Sanctions guidance updated
Treasury and OFSI have updated their guidance on financial sanctions to bring the general guidance and guidance on the relatively new monetary penalties for breach together.
JMLSG consults on updated guidance parts 2 and 3
JMLSG is consulting, until 26 May, on updates to parts of its guidance within parts 2 and 3. It has already published a mark up of part 1 of the guidance for comment. Certain parts of part 2 have not been changed (yet, although the entire part will be updated with new references in due […]
Government considers sanctions laws post-Brexit
The Government has published a White Paper looking at what legislative changes the UK will need to make to preserve and continue the sanctions regime after Brexit. Currently, the UK implements most sanctions-related powers through the European Communities Act, and most sanctions apply directly to UK persons through EU Regulations. The paper explains that the Great […]
OFSI reminds on sanctions penalties
OFSI has reminded firms that it now has power to impose penalties for breaches of financial sanctions, and says it will normally publish details of cases where it imposes them. It has also published guidance on its approach to compliance and enforcement, and on how it will assess whether to impose a monetary penalty, and the […]
PRA fines BTMU firms for failure to be open with it
PRA has fined the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Limited £17.95m and MUFJ Securities EMEA plc £8.925m. The fine relates to a failure of the firms to be open and honest with PRA in respect of a US enforcement action, in breach of Fundamental Rules 6 and 7 in the case of BTMU and Fundamental Rule […]
LMA updates sanctions guidance
The Lloyd’s Market Association has published updated guidance on sanctions and briefed managing agents and brokers on the changes. The guidance, in new Market Bulletin Y5057, relates to processing requirements of central settlement for Iran, Syria, North Korea, Crimea, Cuba and Sudan. Transactions relating to any of these jurisdictions can only be processed through Central […]