Sanctions compliance in practice: lessons from OFSI’s £160,000 Bank of Scotland penalty

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In January 2026, OFSI published the details of an £160,000 monetary penalty imposed on Bank of Scotland Plc, a subsidiary of the Lloyds Banking Group, for breaching the Russia financial sanctions regime.  The lessons in this case go beyond one …

Call for evidence on ownership and control in financial sanctions regulations

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OFSI has launched a call for evidence to seek industry’s views on how UK financial sanctions regulations on ownership and control are applied in practice, including how firms implement the regulations and where they face challenges.    The ownership and control …

New and updated enforcement framework – a message from Giles Thomson, Director of OFSI

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Today, 29 January 2026, we are publishing OFSI’s public consultation response on proposed changes to our enforcement processes. Under our revised framework, these changes will support compliance, give firms greater certainty and ensure our approach to enforcing financial sanctions is …

Strengthening Global Sanctions: Two Years of Enhanced Partnership

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In October 2024, representatives from the United Kingdom’s (UK) Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) convened in Washington, DC at our annual technical exchange, marking the second …

Changes to sanctions legislation introduced through the Sanctions (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.2) Regulations 2024 

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On 14 November 2024, the Sanctions (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.2) Regulations 2024 was laid in Parliament. This instrument introduces the following changes to sanctions legislation:  Taken together, these changes will collectively improve the ability of HM Treasury’s Office of …