sanction

According to The Block, payment company Mastercard has launched the Stablecoin Security tool to screen for fraud and sanction risks in stablecoin payments.This tool is aimed at stablecoin payment scenarios, helping relevant institutions identify fraudulent activities and sanction compliance risks during transaction processing. Mastercard did not disclose more product parameters and launch scope in the summary of the report.

In an executive order, U.S. President Trump stated that, effective immediately, certain sanctions, restrictions, and tariffs specified in the "Graham Sanctions on Russia and Iran Act" are waived.

According to Bloomberg, Bank of America has been fined over $1.21 billion by U.S. regulators for anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance issues. Among them, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a $750 million civil penalty, setting a record for fines related to this agency; the settlement measures from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) involve 475 alleged violations of sanctions programs, with related countries including Russia and Iran.Regulators also issued a consent order against the bank.

According to a report by the WSJ, a previously undisclosed internal investigation report from Binance shows that Iranian financier Babak Zanjani used affiliated companies, shell companies, and multiple trading accounts to transfer funds through Binance, establishing a funding channel for the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to evade Western sanctions. The related network involves 21 individual and corporate trading accounts, with a total trading volume of approximately $850 million, of which at least $67 million flowed from two accounts to wallets associated with the IRGC.The report indicates that Tajik businessman Sukhrob Oimakhmadov, classified as a "high-value customer" by Binance, received over $10 million through his account, with sources including digital wallets later identified by the Israeli Ministry of Defense as belonging to the IRGC. The cryptocurrency platform Zedcex, associated with Zanjani, had a total trading volume close to $830 million, with approximately $56 million withdrawn to related wallets. The network also involves the Turkish payment company ZedPay, as well as the cryptocurrency token USDZ used for trading.Binance stated that it has identified the related activities and taken measures, with all accounts associated with sanction violations being restricted from trading and gradually closed. The company also emphasized that the total trading volume of accounts does not equal the actual funds flowing into the IRGC and acknowledged past procedural issues in internal approvals and execution timeliness. The U.S. Department of the Treasury had previously imposed sanctions on Zanjani and related companies and individuals.

On October 8, the UK added Xeltox Enterprises, Processing KG, TokenSpot, and Tsunami Payments to the sanctions list, identified as RUS3755, RUS3756, RUS3758, and RUS3763 respectively. This batch includes a total of 38 new designations, including three cryptocurrency exchanges and two payment platforms. The government stated that two of the companies had processed transactions related to the Kremlin-backed A7 network, which claims to have transferred over $90 billion last year; the announcement did not specify the exact companies, and this figure is based on A7's claims as reported by the UK.The measures go beyond asset freezes, and the listed companies also face restrictions on banking, payment processing, and internet services within the UK. The Secretary of State stated there are reasonable grounds to suspect that Xeltox benefits from or supports the Russian government by operating in the Russian financial services sector, and is associated with activities linked to Cryptomus and those continued through Heleket. Cryptomus, Heleket, and Certa Payments Ltd are listed as major name variants of Xeltox. TokenSpot is a closed joint-stock company based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with reasonable grounds to suspect it supports the Russian government or benefits from it by operating in the Russian financial services sector.Processing KG is an open joint-stock company based in Bishkek, with websites processing-kg.com and vexpay.net, and records indicate that the parent company is the Kyrgyz Ministry of Finance, engaged in business of economic significance to the Russian government;

According to CoinDesk, the UK Foreign Office announced a new round of sanctions related to Russia, stating that relevant cryptocurrency platforms may assist Russia in evading sanctions.The sanctioned entities include Xeltox Enterprises, which operates Cryptomus, Heleket, and Certa Payments, the Kyrgyz exchange TokenSpot, and the payment platform Processing KG, as well as Tsunami Payments, two of which previously handled transactions related to the A7A5 network.

The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on Cryptomus, Heleket, and TokenSpot in actions targeting Russian entities suspected of evading sanctions. TokenSpot transferred over $950 million in funds to the sanctioned exchanges Grinex, Garantex, and the Kremlin-backed A7 network.

A report from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) identifies stablecoins, particularly USDT, as a key liquidity channel supporting Iran's shadow banking system. Licensed virtual asset service providers (VASP) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region face heightened sanctions compliance pressure and need to enhance wallet ownership identification and counterparty assessment.Soham Jethani, a partner at the law firm Septten, stated that merchants settling crypto assets into local fiat currency do not necessarily avoid sanctions risks. Liability may involve designated entities, the provision of funds or economic resources, and asset handling within the transaction chain, potentially arising before the final settlement by banks. Jethani pointed out that the name of the stablecoin or the currency in which it is priced does not determine legal ownership; specific rights depend on contractual arrangements and actual payment processes.Globally circulating stablecoins may also pose secondary sanctions risks, as indirect or historical wallet associations do not automatically constitute violations and must be assessed in conjunction with applicable regulations, transaction participants, and specific facts. In regulated markets like the UAE, licensed exchange wallets are continuously monitored, and related funds can be frozen before consumption settlements, with merchants also required to complete KYC. Regulated VASPs handling deposits and withdrawals bear the responsibility for counterparty and sanctions risk assessment and corresponding controls.

The Cardano Foundation announced that the programmable token standard CIP-0113 has officially launched on the Cardano mainnet, allowing issuers of regulated assets such as stablecoins, tokenized funds, and bonds to directly embed compliance rules such as KYC, anti-money laundering, sanctions screening, asset freezing and confiscation, and transfer restrictions into the tokens, which will be executed by the Cardano ledger during each transfer, minting, and burning.This standard does not require a hard fork, and the tokens remain native assets of Cardano, with issuers able to update the rule modules according to regulatory changes.

According to a report by the Japan Economic News cited by Reference News, the Japanese government has decided to impose additional sanctions on Russia during a cabinet meeting. In principle, the Japanese government prohibits providing operational, maintenance, insurance, and financing services to 35 vessels in Russia's "shadow fleet," which secretly transports crude oil to evade Western sanctions.In addition to the sanctions against the "shadow fleet," the Japanese government will also add 33 Russian military-related groups and 9 individuals to the asset freeze list, including groups involved in using cryptocurrency to evade financial sanctions.

According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against a member of Hamas's military wing, two French nationals, and two charitable organizations, accusing them of raising over $2 million for Hamas through cryptocurrency and so-called humanitarian donations in a fundraising campaign that lasted six years.The Treasury stated that Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid raised funds in France under the guise of humanitarian efforts, subsequently transferring the money to Hamas. This network raised over $2 million between 2020 and 2026, with $1.5 million occurring after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The two also sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency to Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq in Gaza, who is the deputy battalion commander of Hamas's Kassam Brigades.The sanctions freeze the assets of the relevant entities within U.S. jurisdiction, and Americans are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. Foreign financial institutions that knowingly facilitate significant transactions may face secondary sanctions risks, and restrictions also extend to companies in which the sanctioned parties hold more than 50% directly or indirectly. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that terrorist organizations like Hamas rely on complex financial intermediaries and fraudulent means. This move indicates U.S. concern about the role of cryptocurrency in broader fundraising networks, rather than viewing it as Hamas's primary source of funding.

According to Cointelegraph, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry jointly issued a statement on Friday, officially adding the Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex to the asset freeze list. This measure will severely restrict payment and capital transaction activities related to Garantex.The statement pointed out that this expansion of sanctions is due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Garantex has previously been blacklisted by multiple jurisdictions, including the United States and the European Union, for allegedly assisting Russian entities in evading financial restrictions.In addition to the cryptocurrency platform, Japan has also added 33 related organizations and 9 individuals to the sanctions list in this action, and imposed bans on repair and insurance services for 35 vessels suspected of transporting Russian crude oil as part of a "shadow fleet."

According to a report by the Japan Economic News cited by Reference News, the Japanese government has decided to impose additional sanctions on Russia during a cabinet meeting. In principle, the Japanese government prohibits providing operational, maintenance, insurance, and financing services to 35 vessels in Russia's "shadow fleet," which secretly transports crude oil to evade Western sanctions.In addition to the sanctions against the "shadow fleet," the Japanese government has also added 33 Russian military-related groups and 9 individuals to the asset freeze list, including groups involved in using cryptocurrency to evade financial sanctions.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on the ATM network associated with Tren de Aragua and has added seven Tron addresses to the sanctions list.Blockchain analysis company Chainalysis stated that the counterparties of the aforementioned wallets had interacted with money laundering networks used by drug trafficking groups in Mexico and Colombia, as well as money launderers in Venezuela.

According to Saudi media outlet Hadass, sources say that Iran has agreed to stop uranium enrichment in exchange for the United States easing sanctions.

Bitcoin News posted on platform X stating that the U.S. Treasury has sanctioned Iran's BitBank, claiming that the exchange processed Bitcoin payments made by vessels under the Hormuz Security Insurance Program.The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control stated that as of June, these funds had been transferred to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Babak Zanjani's network had used the exchange to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that Bitcoin payment channels are not exempt from regulation by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control.

According to Bloomberg, sources have revealed that U.S. federal prosecutors are investigating whether Binance Holdings Ltd. violated U.S. sanctions against Iran by failing to prevent certain transactions on its platform.The investigation into Binance's compliance is being handled by the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office. One source also noted that the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington is involved in the case, and authorities are focusing on whether Binance knowingly allowed the relevant transactions to proceed.

Indian refiners are seeking crude oil purchases for delivery in November. Due to the sanctions bill signed by the United States last week, India may reduce its crude oil purchases from Russia.As the world's third-largest crude oil buyer, India has imported more than half of its total imports from Russia.