On 18 July 2025, the UK Government announced a lowering of the Oil Price Cap (“OPC”) to further inhibit Russia’s ability to use oil revenues to finance its illegal invasion of Ukraine. The OPC was first introduced in December 2022 to reduce Russia’s oil revenues in response to the invasion of Ukraine that same year. The OPC prevents G7 companies from shipping, insuring or servicing any Russian crude oil sold above the OPC price of…
On 31 July 2025, the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”) announced that it had imposed a monetary penalty totalling GBP 300,000 on Markom Management Limited (“MML”), a provider of fiduciary, management, administration, bookkeeping and accounting services incorporated in the UK. The monetary penalty related to conduct in 2018 and a breach of the UK’s pre-Brexit sanctions regime, specifically the UK’s implementing regulations for Council Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 (Ukraine Misappropriation and Human Rights)…
On 21 July 2025, the UK government issued the General Trade Licence: Russia Sanctions – Sectoral Software and Technology (the “Sectoral Software Licence”) under Regulation 65 of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (the “UK Russia Regulations”). The Sectoral Software Licence came into force on 21 July 2025 and will expire on 20 October 2025. The Sectoral Software Licence authorises providers located in or operating from within the UK and UK persons to transfer…
On 17 July 2025, the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”) launched a series of new online forms for parties looking to submit licence applications or report information such as suspected breaches of financial sanctions.  The new forms aim to streamline the submission process and to avoid incomplete or incorrect submissions through the introduction of mandatory fields and built-in guidance notes, thereby reducing the need for follow-up questions and enabling OFSI to provide…