Tagged: office of foreign assets control

Chainalysis Examines Bitcoin Addresses Included in OFAC’s Designation that Were Reportedly Used to Facilitate Illicit Activities

On November 3, 2023, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Russian national Ekaterina Zhdanova for using cryptocurrency “to launder money on behalf of Russian elites, ransomware groups, and other bad actors.” Chainalysis has examined the three Bitcoin… Read More

US Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Posts FAQ on Tornado Cash and Sanctions

This is interesting. At some point today, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), part of the US Department of Treasury, posted an FAQ on Tornado Cash, a crypto mixer that was recently the target of an action by OFAC. Last month, Tornado Cash was… Read More

Coinbase to Fund Lawsuit Challenging Tornado Cash Sanctions by US Department of Treasury

Last month, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) applied sanctions to Tornado Cash, a crypto mixing platform. The second sanctions hitting a mixer, the enforcement action is still the first of its kind as the code running Tornado.cash was open… Read More

Coin Center Defends Tornado Cash: A Smart Contract is a Robot Not a Person

As was earlier covered, the US Department of Treasury, via the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned crypto mixer Tornado Cash.  Mixers are used to boost the privacy of crypto transacts but may also be used to obfuscate nefarious activity. Coin Center, a… Read More

US Department of Treasury Targets Another Crypto Mixer as Tornado.Cash Gets Sanctioned

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has targeted another crypto mixer by sanctioning Tornado Cash. Most recently, in May, OFAC sanctioned Blender.io, a mixer that is said to be utilized by North Korea  for its “malicious cyber activities and… Read More

US Department of Treasury Sanctions Hydra Market, Garantex, Along with 100 Crypto Wallets Associated with Dark Web Marketplace: $25 Million in Bitcoin Seized

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned dark web marketplace Hydra Market, labeling it a pernicious site for malicious cybercrime services, dangerous drugs, ransomware, and other illicit activity. Hydra Market is said to be based in Russia. Also sanctioned, Garantex is a crypto exchange… Read More

US Department of Treasury: Sanctions Restrict Russia’s Access to Billions Following Premeditated and Unprovoked Invasion of Ukraine

The US Department of Treasury has issued a statement today following a flurry of international actions over the weekend that sought to cut off Russia from global markets while freezing assets of certain individuals and other entities. Treasury said the actions were taken following the… Read More

Agencies within the US Justice and Treasury Department are Seeking Millions of Dollars in Funding to Oversee the Cryptocurrency Industry

Federal agencies and departments established within the US Justice Department and the Treasury Department are reportedly requesting that millions of dollars be allocated to support their oversight and enforcement efforts related to the cryptocurrency industry. US President Donald Trump’s administration introduced its $4.8 trillion budget… Read More

US Treasury Department Blocks Crypto Addresses of Chinese Fentanyl “Kingpins”

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) have named several Chinese nationals, “as significant foreign narcotics traffickers pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act).” OFAC is also, “identifying Bitcoin addresses associated with these… Read More

US Treasury Department Sanctions First Bitcoin Addresses

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned the Bitcoin addresses of two Iranians the office says processed Bitcoin ransoms on behalf of Iranian hackers who targeted government and business sites in the US and Canada. Anyone who does… Read More

AML and Sanctions Compliance Issues Facing Cryptocurrency Companies

Over the past few years, continued advancements in the payments industry and financial services technology have significantly expanded the way money financial transactions are processed and managed.  Banks and payment and technology firms are accelerating efforts to innovate and adapt financial services alternatives to meet… Read More

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