On October 30, 2024, the US Government imposed sanctions on hundreds of entities and individuals across the globe, primarily in response to Russia’s continued war in Ukraine, and amended US export controls related to Russia and Belarus. Below, we describe the key actions taken by the US Departments of the Treasury, State, and Commerce. 1. OFAC Actions With the aim of disrupting global sanctions evasion networks and domestic suppliers to Russia’s military-industrial base, the US…
On October 9, 2024, the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued guidance to financial institutions on best practices for compliance with the US Export Administrations Regulations (“EAR”). The guidance aims to help financial institutions minimize the inadvertent EAR violations, especially under General Prohibition 10 (“GP 10”), which prohibits financing or servicing items subject to the EAR with knowledge that a violation of the EAR has occurred, is about to occur, or…
The main US export controls regulator continues to take steps to demonstrate its focus on enforcement. Specifically, the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued a final rule (the “Rule”) on September 16, 2024, effective immediately, to amend the provisions in its regulations focused on the voluntary self-disclosure (“VSD”) process. Many of the changes in the Rule reflect guidance previously issued by BIS in individual memoranda (available here), which are now…
On September 3, 2024, the US Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (“DDTC”) issued revised Guidance for U.S. Persons Abroad (“USPABs”) Authorization Requests (“USPAB Guidance”) and updated FAQs on Defense Services and USPABs. Under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”), all USPABs need DDTC authorization before they can furnish ITAR-controlled defense services to any foreign person, including USPABs’ non-US employers. The principal changes to the USPAB Guidance are as follows: