U.S. Removes Venezuela Leader Delcy Rodríguez from SDN List
The Trump administration on Wednesday lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, removing a key barrier that had prevented Americans from doing business with her and potentially clearing the way for fresh U.S. investment in the country.
Rwanda Threatens to End Islamic State Fight Over U.S. Sanctions Row
Rwanda has threatened to withdraw its troops from northern Mozambique, where they have spent the past five years containing Islamic State-linked militants, after the U.S. imposed sanctions on Kigali over its alleged support for the M23 insurgency in neighboring Congo.
OFAC Lifts Sanctions on 3 Russian Ships, Raising Questions of Policy Shift
The United States has lifted sanctions on three Russian-flagged commercial vessels, but the Treasury Department says the move does not signal a broader change in Washington’s policy toward Russia.
CFTC To Focus on Prediction Markets, Willful AML Violations
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will prioritize enforcement against insider trading in prediction markets, manipulation in energy markets, spoofing, retail fraud, and willful violations of anti-money-laundering (AML) laws, the agency’s new enforcement director said Tuesday.
Malta Isn’t Ready to Let the EU Take the Reins on Crypto Supervision
Malta is mounting an unusually public fight against a European Union push to centralize crypto supervision, arguing the move would strip the island-nation of oversight over major digital-asset firms it helped attract and regulate.
OFAC Warns on Sham Transfers in Sanctions-Evasion Schemes
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Tuesday issued new guidance warning that sham transactions used by sanctioned individuals and entities to disguise continuing control over assets do not extinguish a blocked interest in property under U.S. sanctions rules.
Fed Gov Warns on Stablecoins’ AML Risks as Agencies Draft Rules
Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr warned on Tuesday that stablecoins pose risks related to money laundering, financial stability, and reserve quality, as U.S. banking agencies work on regulations to implement new federal rules for the sector.
Ex-Malaysian PM Razak Ordered to Pay $1.3 Billion to 1MDB Unit
A Malaysian court on Tuesday ordered jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak to pay $1.3 billion to SRC International, a former unit of scandal-linked state fund 1MDB, after finding him liable for losses incurred by the company.
Hungary Secretly Worked with Russia to Water Down EU Sanctions
Hungary’s foreign minister privately shared sensitive European Union discussions with Russia and worked with Moscow to try to remove sanctioned Russian individuals, banks, and companies from EU blacklists.
U.S. Indicts Hacker Allegedly Behind $53-Million Uranium Finance Exploit
U.S. authorities have charged an alleged hacker in connection with a 2021 exploit of decentralized exchange Uranium Finance that drained about $53 million in crypto and helped force the platform to shut down.