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Sanctions Lists

Sanctions lists are official compilations of individuals, entities, and jurisdictions subject to economic, trade, or financial restrictions imposed by governments and international bodies. These lists are a critical data source for Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF), and Counter-Proliferation Financing (CPF) programs, as they help financial institutions identify prohibited or high-risk parties in transactions and customer relationships.

Sanctions lists may be maintained by national authorities, supranational organizations, or regulatory bodies. Key examples include:

  • United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Sanctions List – Mandated by UN member states for global compliance.
  • Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) – Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List – Maintained by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
  • EU Consolidated Sanctions List – Covers EU-wide financial restrictions.
  • UK Sanctions List (OFSI) – Maintained by the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation.
  • Other Country-Specific Lists – Such as Canada’s Consolidated Sanctions List, Australia’s DFAT List, and Russia’s counter-sanctions lists.

Sanctions lists are used in AML for:

  1. Customer Due Diligence (CDD) & Know Your Customer (KYC) – Screening individuals and entities during onboarding.
  2. Transaction Monitoring & Screening – Flagging or blocking transactions involving sanctioned parties.
  3. Investigations & Reporting – Supporting Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and law enforcement collaboration.
  4. Trade Finance & Correspondent Banking – Ensuring compliance in cross-border transactions and supply chains.

Sanctions lists typically include:

  • Full Name / Alias / Known Variations
  • Date of Birth (DOB) / Place of Birth (POB)
  • Passport / National ID Numbers
  • Addresses (Registered & Known Locations)
  • Business Affiliations / Linked Entities
  • Sanctions Program / Designation Authority
  • Reasons for Sanction (e.g., Terrorist Financing, WMD Proliferation, Human Rights Violations)
  • Restrictions (Asset Freezes, Travel Bans, Trade Restrictions)
[
Code
DS0018
]
[
Name
Sanctions Lists
]
[
Version
1.0
]
[
Category
Watchlists & Adverse Data
]
[
Created
2025-04-02
]
[
Modified
2025-04-02
]

Related Techniques

T0143.002
|
Arms Trafficking
|

  • Consolidates sanctioned and embargoed individuals, entities, and jurisdictions subject to financial or trade restrictions.

  • Arms traffickers often appear on lists related to arms embargoes or national security designations, making sanctions screening essential for blocking or scrutinizing suspicious transactions.

T0036
|
Business Investment
|

Comprehensive listings of sanctioned individuals, entities, and jurisdictions subject to financial restrictions. Screening investors and beneficial owners against these lists helps identify previously sanctioned or prohibited parties attempting to invest illicit funds into businesses.

T0024.001
|
CBI or RBI-Based Identity Acquisition
|
  • Contains official compilations of sanctioned individuals, entities, and jurisdictions subject to financial restrictions.
  • In CBI/RBI contexts, screening applicants and their associated entities against these lists helps detect potentially sanctioned parties attempting to gain new legal status under false pretenses.
  • Facilitates AML detection by preventing criminals on sanctions lists from bypassing controls through alternate citizenship or residency.
T0019
|
Charitable and Non-Profit Organizations
|
  • Comprises official lists of individuals, entities, and jurisdictions subject to economic or financial restrictions.
  • Enables the screening of donors, beneficiaries, or affiliated parties who may be designated or tied to terrorist organizations.
  • Helps detect and block funds linked to sanctioned or prohibited entities attempting to exploit charitable structures.
T0104
|
Correspondent Banking
|

Encompasses official sanctions lists maintained by governments and international bodies. Screening cross-border transactions against these lists ensures that no illicit payments are processed for sanctioned entities or jurisdictions, helping the correspondent bank uphold sanctions compliance and mitigate AML risk.

T0142
|
Drug Trade
|
  • Consolidates individuals, entities, and jurisdictions subject to sanctions, often including those designated for narcotics trafficking.
  • Supports customer due diligence and real-time transaction screening to identify blocked or high-risk parties.
  • Alerts financial institutions to freeze assets or reject transactions involving sanctioned drug traffickers.
T0032
|
Instant Exchange Services
|
  • Official compilations of sanctioned individuals, entities, and jurisdictions subject to asset freezes and other restrictions.
  • Helps detect attempts to evade sanctions by rapidly swapping assets, a known misuse of instant exchange platforms.
T0061.002
|
Investment Through CBI/RBI
|
  • Official compilations of individuals and entities subject to economic, trade, or financial restrictions issued by governments and international bodies.
  • Ensures that applicants or beneficial owners under sanctions are flagged, preventing them from using CBI/RBI programs to circumvent restrictions and launder illicit proceeds.
T0023.002
|
Name Alteration
|

OFAC and UN and similar lists include strong and weak aliases; importing those alias fields into screening engines ensures one-character deviations from a sanctioned name still generate alerts.

T0114
|
Over-the-Counter Cryptocurrency Trading
|

Official compilations of entities under economic or financial restrictions are essential tools. By screening OTC brokers and their customers against these lists, investigators can identify sanctioned or politically exposed individuals who may be exploiting OTC services to bypass regulated channels.

T0148
|
Piracy
|

Comprehensive listings of sanctioned individuals and entities include those designated for piracy or kidnapping for ransom. Screening transactions against these lists helps block or investigate flows potentially linked to sanctioned pirate groups or their facilitators.

T0011.001
|
Regulated Exchange Mule Transactions
|
  • Official listings of individuals, entities, and jurisdictions subject to economic or financial restrictions.
  • Allows screening for sanctioned parties or jurisdictions linked to illicit account activity, aiding in identifying unauthorized dealings and heightened AML risk associated with mule transactions.
T0141
|
Sanctions Evasion
|

Consolidated sanctions lists from regulatory bodies (e.g., OFAC, UN, EU) detail sanctioned individuals, entities, and vessels. Cross-referencing transactions, beneficial ownership records, and business relationships against these lists enables the direct identification of sanctioned parties attempting to circumvent restrictions.

T0129
|
Sports Sponsorship
|
  • Official listings of sanctioned individuals, entities, and jurisdictions subject to financial restrictions.
  • Ensures sponsors, clubs, or related intermediaries are not sanctioned, preventing illicit funds from passing through disguised sports marketing deals.