US crypto & fintech regulation, in plain English
Every major rule from FinCEN, OCC, OFAC, the SEC and CFTC — explained, with who it affects and what to do. Free, always current, no signup.
Major rule trackers
The GENIUS Act: federal rules for payment stablecoins
Signed into law — illicit-finance rules being finalized (expected mid-2026)
The first major U.S. digital-asset law. It creates a federal licensing and supervision regime for payment-stablecoin issuers: 1:1 reserves in cash or short-dated Treasuries, bank-like safety-and-soundness standards, and full BSA/AML obligations. Treasury, FinCEN, and OFAC are now writing the implementing rules.
Open trackerU.S. Congress · SEC · CFTCThe CLARITY Act: who regulates crypto — the SEC or the CFTC?
Advancing through Congress — joint SEC/CFTC guidance already issued
The market-structure bill that aims to end the SEC-vs-CFTC turf war over crypto. It sets statutory rules for when a digital asset is a security (SEC) versus a digital commodity (CFTC), replacing years of enforcement-by-litigation with a defined regulatory perimeter.
Open trackerOFAC Adds New Names to SDN Sanctions Blacklist
OFAC has designated one or more individuals or entities as Specially Designated Nationals, blocking all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them. Crypto and fintech firms must screen all customers, counterparties, and wallet addresses against the updated SDN list immediately, as any transaction with a newly listed party could constitute a sanctions violation regardless of asset type or platform.
OFAC Updates Contact Info and Swaps Legal-Fee Reporting for Recordkeeping
OFAC is finalizing administrative updates to several CFR parts, including refreshed website and contact information and a notable change to general licenses covering payments for legal services from funds originating outside the United States — replacing a reporting requirement with a recordkeeping requirement. Firms that rely on these general licenses (e.g., when a sanctioned-country counterparty pays legal fees) now need to maintain records rather than file reports. Compliance teams should update their sanctions compliance procedures to reflect the recordkeeping obligation.
OFAC Removes Some Hong Kong SDNs, Moves Others to Non-SDN Menu-Based List
OFAC has delisted certain individuals and entities from the SDN List under Hong Kong sanctions authorities, while transferring others who remain sanctioned under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act to the Non-SDN Menu-Based Sanctions List (NS-MBS List). Compliance teams must update their screening systems to reflect both the removals and the new list placement, as NS-MBS List designations carry different — but still legally significant — restrictions compared to full SDN blocking. Firms that transact with or custody assets for any of the affected persons need to re-evaluate their obligations immediately.
OFAC Adds New Individuals or Entities to the SDN List
OFAC has designated one or more persons to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, meaning all property and interests in property of those persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from transacting with them. Crypto exchanges, custodians, and payment processors must screen these newly added names immediately to avoid sanctions violations. Failure to block transactions involving SDN-listed parties can result in significant civil and criminal penalties.
OFAC Adds New Names to SDN Sanctions Blacklist
OFAC has designated one or more individuals or entities to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, blocking all U.S.-jurisdictional property and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them. Crypto and fintech firms must screen all customers, counterparties, and wallet addresses against the updated SDN List immediately. Failure to block prohibited transactions can result in significant civil and criminal penalties.
OFAC Updates Identifying Information for SDN List Entry
OFAC has revised the identifying information for a person already on the SDN List, which may include updated names, aliases, addresses, or other identifiers. Firms relying on static or infrequently refreshed screening data could miss a match if their records do not reflect the updated details. Compliance teams should ensure their screening tools ingest OFAC's full consolidated SDN List, including all alias and identifier updates.
OFAC Adds New Names to the SDN Blocked Persons List
OFAC has designated one or more individuals or entities to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, immediately blocking all U.S.-person transactions with them and freezing any property under U.S. jurisdiction. Crypto and fintech firms must screen customers, counterparties, and wallet addresses against the updated SDN list in real time, as facilitating transactions with a newly listed party — even unknowingly — can trigger strict liability penalties.
OFAC Updates SDN List with Revised Identifying Information
OFAC has updated the identifying information for one or more individuals or entities already on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. Compliance teams must refresh their screening systems immediately to ensure sanctions checks reflect the latest SDN data and avoid missed matches due to stale records.
OFAC Adds New Names to SDN Sanctions Blacklist
OFAC has designated one or more additional persons to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, meaning all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked and U.S. persons are prohibited from transacting with them. Crypto exchanges, custodians, and payment processors must screen these new entries immediately, as facilitating transactions with SDN-listed parties — including crypto transfers — can result in strict-liability civil penalties. Sanctions lists are updated without advance notice, making real-time or near-real-time screening essential.
OFAC Updates Identifying Information for Sanctioned Parties
OFAC has published updates to the identifying information of one or more entries already on its sanctions lists, which may affect name-matching and screening results. Compliance officers must ensure their sanctions screening tools and SDN list databases are refreshed promptly to reflect these changes and avoid false negatives. Failure to catch updated entries could result in inadvertent transactions with sanctioned parties.
OFAC Adds New Individual to SDN List — Transactions Now Blocked
OFAC has designated one person to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, blocking all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them. Crypto and fintech firms must screen this new entry across all customer accounts, transaction flows, and onboarding pipelines. Any existing business relationship with this individual must be frozen and reported.
OFAC Adds Persons and Vessels to SDN List — All Property Blocked
OFAC has designated one or more persons and vessels to the SDN List, blocking all U.S.-jurisdiction property and prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with them; the vessels are identified as property in which a blocked person has an interest. Firms involved in trade finance, cross-border payments, or commodity-linked crypto transactions face elevated risk and must screen for these new vessel designations. Compliance teams should update vessel and entity screening protocols in addition to standard name screening.
OFAC Adds New Persons to SDN List — U.S. Transactions Prohibited
OFAC has added one or more persons to the SDN List, blocking all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them. All regulated firms — including crypto exchanges, custodians, and payment processors — must update their screening systems and check existing relationships against the new designations. Non-compliance with SDN blocking obligations can result in significant civil and criminal penalties.
OFAC Issues Additional SDN List Designations
OFAC has added one or more persons to the SDN List, triggering an immediate prohibition on U.S. persons engaging in any transactions with those parties and requiring the blocking of any related assets. For crypto and fintech compliance teams, this underscores the need for real-time or near-real-time sanctions screening workflows that can catch newly listed entities across all transaction channels.
OFAC Updates and Removes Entries from the SDN List
OFAC has revised identifying information for one or more SDN-listed persons and has also removed one or more persons or properties from the list entirely. Compliance teams should update their screening databases promptly — both to avoid false positives on removed parties and to capture any updated identifiers (such as new aliases or wallet addresses) for still-listed persons.
OFAC Adds New Names to SDN Sanctions Blacklist
OFAC has designated one or more additional persons to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, meaning all U.S. persons are prohibited from transacting with them and any assets under U.S. jurisdiction must be blocked. Crypto firms and fintechs must screen against the updated SDN List immediately, as facilitating transactions with newly designated parties — including through blockchain addresses — can result in severe civil and criminal penalties.
OFAC Adds New Names to SDN Blocked-Persons List
OFAC has designated one or more individuals or entities, adding them to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List and blocking all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction. U.S. persons — including crypto exchanges, custodians, and payment processors — are generally prohibited from transacting with these parties, making immediate screening updates essential.
OFAC Adds New Names to the SDN Blocked-Persons List
OFAC has designated one or more individuals or entities, adding them to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List and blocking all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction. U.S. persons are broadly prohibited from transacting with any newly listed party. Crypto and fintech firms must screen customers, counterparties, and wallet addresses against the updated SDN List immediately to avoid sanctions violations.
OFAC Adds New Names to SDN List, Updates Existing Entry
OFAC has designated one or more individuals or entities to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, blocking all U.S.-jurisdictional property and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them. An existing SDN entry has also been updated with new identifying information. Crypto firms and fintechs must screen against the updated list immediately, as facilitating transactions with SDNs — including in digital assets — can result in strict-liability civil penalties.
OFAC Adds New Individuals or Entities to the SDN Sanctions List
OFAC has designated one or more persons to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, blocking all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them. All crypto and fintech firms must screen customers, counterparties, and wallet addresses against the updated SDN List immediately. Failure to block prohibited transactions can result in significant civil and criminal penalties.
OFAC Adds New Individuals/Entities to SDN Blocked Persons List
OFAC has designated one or more persons to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, blocking all U.S.-jurisdictional property and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them. Crypto and fintech firms must screen customers, counterparties, and wallet addresses against the updated SDN List immediately, as facilitating transactions with blocked persons exposes firms to significant civil and criminal liability.
OFAC Publishes List of Medical Devices Requiring Special Authorization for North Korea Exports
OFAC has published a list of medical devices that are excluded from the general license permitting certain humanitarian exports to North Korea, meaning these specific items require individual authorization. While narrow in scope, compliance teams at firms handling any trade finance, payments, or cross-border transfers involving North Korea-related humanitarian transactions should be aware of these carve-outs. This is relevant to any institution that processes payments or financing for humanitarian aid programs touching North Korea.
OFAC Publishes Cyber-Related Sanctions General License 2 in Federal Register
OFAC has formally published General License 2 under the Cyber-Related Sanctions Regulations, which was previously available only on OFAC's website. This GL authorizes certain activities that would otherwise be prohibited under the cyber-related sanctions program, and its Federal Register publication provides official legal notice. Crypto firms, exchanges, and cybersecurity-adjacent fintech companies operating near sanctioned cyber actors should review the GL's scope and conditions to confirm any reliance on it is permissible.
OFAC Publishes General License 11 for ICC-Related Sanctions
OFAC has formally published General License 11 under the International Criminal Court-Related Sanctions Regulations, which was previously available only on its website. Publishing GLs in the Federal Register makes them part of the official regulatory record and may affect how firms document compliance with sanctions screening obligations. Compliance teams should update their sanctions program documentation to reference the formally published version of GL 11.
OFAC Formally Publishes Two New Iran General Licenses (U and V)
OFAC has published Iran-related General Licenses U and V in the Federal Register, formalizing authorizations that were previously posted only on OFAC's website. These GLs define specific categories of transactions that are permitted notwithstanding Iran sanctions. All firms subject to Iran sanctions obligations — including crypto exchanges, payment processors, and banks — should review the scope of GLs U and V to understand what, if any, transactions are now explicitly authorized.
OFAC Publishes Venezuela General Licenses 5U and 5V in Federal Register
OFAC has formally published General Licenses 5U and 5V under the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations, which were previously available only on OFAC's website. These licenses authorize certain transactions that would otherwise be prohibited under Venezuela sanctions. Firms handling payments, crypto transactions, or financial services with any Venezuela nexus should review these GLs to understand the scope of permitted activity.
OFAC Publishes Venezuela General Licenses 48A and 49A in Federal Register
OFAC has formally published General Licenses 48A and 49A under the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations, which were previously available only on OFAC's website. Formalizing these GLs in the Federal Register makes them part of the binding regulatory record. Compliance officers at institutions with any Venezuela-related exposure should review these licenses to confirm their transaction monitoring and sanctions screening remain aligned with the latest authorized activities.
OFAC Updates SDN List: New Additions and Removals
OFAC has added one or more persons to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list and removed one or more persons whose property has been unblocked. All U.S. persons are prohibited from transacting with newly listed individuals or entities, and any property under U.S. jurisdiction must be blocked. Crypto and fintech firms must screen against the updated list immediately to avoid sanctions violations.
OFAC Adds New Individuals or Entities to the SDN Sanctions List
OFAC has designated one or more persons to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, blocking all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them. Crypto exchanges, custodians, and payment firms must screen all customers and transactions against the updated SDN List immediately to avoid sanctions violations.
OFAC Removes One or More Persons from the SDN Sanctions List
OFAC has unblocked the property and interests of one or more individuals or entities and removed them from the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List. Firms must update their sanctions screening systems promptly to reflect these removals to avoid false positives and unnecessary transaction blocks. This is a routine but operationally important update for any institution running OFAC screening.
OFAC Adds New Persons to the SDN Blocked Persons List
OFAC has designated additional individuals or entities to the SDN List, blocking all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with them. For crypto and fintech firms, this requires immediate rescreening of customer and transaction data, as digital asset transfers to or from SDNs carry the same strict-liability exposure as traditional financial transactions. Failure to screen promptly can result in significant civil penalties regardless of intent.
OFAC Updates SDN List: New Additions and One Removal
OFAC has simultaneously removed one or more persons from the SDN List (unblocking their property) and added new designees, requiring immediate updates to screening systems in both directions. Compliance teams must ensure their screening tools reflect both the removals—to avoid over-blocking now-cleared parties—and the new additions to prevent prohibited transactions. Dual-action SDN updates like this require prompt, accurate list management.
OFAC Adds New Names to SDN Sanctions Blacklist
OFAC has designated one or more additional persons on the SDN List, blocking all their U.S.-jurisdictional property and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them. Crypto firms and fintechs must screen all customers and counterparties against the updated list immediately, as facilitating transactions with SDNs can result in severe civil and criminal penalties. Failure to catch a newly listed party in real time is a common enforcement trigger.
OFAC Sanctions New Persons and Vessels — SDN List Updated
OFAC has added one or more individuals and vessels to the SDN List, blocking all their U.S.-jurisdictional property and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them; the vessels are identified as property of a blocked person. Crypto exchanges, payment processors, and financial institutions must screen not only individuals and entities but also vessel identifiers, which can appear in trade finance and cross-border payment contexts. Failure to screen vessel-related SDN entries is an overlooked compliance gap.
OFAC Adds New Names to SDN Blocked Persons List
OFAC has designated one or more individuals or entities to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, meaning all U.S. persons are prohibited from transacting with them and any property interests under U.S. jurisdiction must be blocked. Crypto exchanges, custodians, and payment processors must screen counterparties and wallet addresses against the updated list to avoid sanctions violations.
OFAC Adds New Names to SDN Blocked Persons List
OFAC has designated additional individuals or entities to the SDN List, triggering an immediate obligation for all U.S. persons and businesses to block any property interests and cease transactions with the listed parties. Firms in crypto and fintech must ensure their screening systems are updated promptly to remain compliant with U.S. sanctions law.
OFAC Adds New Names to SDN Blocked Persons List
OFAC has designated one or more persons to the SDN List, requiring all U.S. persons to block their property and prohibiting any transactions with them. Crypto and fintech firms must update screening systems and check existing customer and counterparty relationships against the revised list without delay.
OFAC Adds New Names to SDN Blocked Persons List
OFAC has added one or more persons to the SDN List, imposing blocking requirements and transaction prohibitions on all U.S. persons. Any crypto or fintech firm that fails to screen against the updated list risks significant civil and criminal sanctions liability.
OFAC Sanctions New Persons and Vessels — SDN List Updated
OFAC has added one or more persons and vessels to the SDN List, with vessels identified as property in which a blocked person has an interest. This is particularly relevant for firms that may process payments or transfers involving shipping, trade finance, or counterparties who could be linked to sanctioned vessels. All U.S. persons must block any related property and refrain from transacting with listed parties.
OFAC Formally Publishes Global Terrorism & Illicit Drug Trade Sanctions General License 34
OFAC has formally published General License 34 under the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations and the Illicit Drug Trade Sanctions Regulations in the Federal Register. These sanctions programs are high-risk for crypto and payments firms, and compliance teams should review GL 34 to understand any permitted activities and adjust controls accordingly.
OFAC Formally Publishes DRC Sanctions General License 1
OFAC has formally published General License 1 under the Democratic Republic of the Congo Sanctions Regulations in the Federal Register. While DRC sanctions activity is less common in crypto, any firm that may process transactions involving DRC-connected parties should confirm whether this GL affects their compliance obligations.
OFAC Formally Publishes Three Venezuela Sanctions General Licenses (46, 46A, 46B)
OFAC has formally published Venezuela Sanctions Regulations General Licenses 46, 46A, and 46B in the Federal Register, having previously made them available only on its website. Firms operating in or processing payments related to Venezuela must understand the precise scope and conditions of these GLs to avoid inadvertent sanctions violations.
OFAC Formally Publishes Four Venezuela Sanctions General Licenses (47–50)
OFAC has formally published Venezuela Sanctions Regulations General Licenses 47, 48, 49, and 50 in the Federal Register after previously releasing them on its website. Compliance officers should review these GLs to understand any newly authorized transaction categories and ensure their sanctions screening and approval workflows are aligned.
OFAC Formally Publishes Four Russia Sanctions General Licenses (55E, 115C, 13P, 131C)
OFAC has formally published four general licenses under the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations — GLs 55E, 115C, 13P, and 131C — in the Federal Register. Given the breadth of Russia-related sanctions affecting crypto and payments firms, compliance teams must review these GLs carefully to determine permitted activities and ensure controls remain current.
OFAC Formally Publishes Belarus Sanctions General License 14
OFAC has formally published General License 14 under the Belarus Sanctions Regulations in the Federal Register. Compliance officers at firms with potential exposure to Belarus-related transactions should review the GL to understand the scope of any permitted activities.
OFAC Formally Publishes Two Iran Sanctions General Licenses (S & T)
OFAC has formally published in the Federal Register two general licenses — GLs S and T — under the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations that were previously available only on its website. Compliance teams should review the scope of these GLs to confirm whether any permitted activities apply to their operations and to update internal sanctions policies accordingly.
OFAC Adds New Names to SDN Blocked-Persons List
OFAC has designated one or more individuals or entities, placing them on the Specially Designated Nationals List and blocking all U.S.-jurisdiction property and interests. All U.S. persons, including crypto exchanges, custodians, wallets, and payment processors, are prohibited from transacting with newly listed parties and must screen immediately.
OFAC Designates Additional Persons to SDN List — Blocking Order in Effect
OFAC has added one or more persons to the SDN List, meaning all of their property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from transacting with them. Crypto firms, MSBs, and financial institutions must update screening systems promptly and check for any existing customer or counterparty relationships with the newly designated individuals. Timely action is essential to avoid violations of U.S. sanctions law.
OFAC Adds New Names & Aircraft to SDN Sanctions Blacklist
OFAC has designated one or more persons and aircraft as Specially Designated Nationals, blocking all U.S.-accessible property and prohibiting U.S. persons from transacting with them. Crypto and fintech firms must screen customers, counterparties, and transaction beneficiaries against the updated SDN List immediately, as violations can result in severe civil and criminal penalties.
OFAC Updates SDN List with New Designated Persons
OFAC has added one or more individuals or entities to the SDN List, blocking all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with them. All regulated firms — including crypto exchanges, custodians, and payment processors — are required to screen against the current SDN List in real time.
OFAC Adds More Individuals to SDN Sanctions Blacklist
OFAC has designated additional persons to the SDN List, meaning all U.S. persons and entities are prohibited from transacting with them and must block any related property. Crypto firms and fintechs face legal exposure if they process transactions for newly listed parties without adequate screening controls.
OFAC Adds New Persons to SDN Sanctions Blacklist
OFAC has designated one or more persons to the SDN List, blocking their U.S.-accessible assets and prohibiting all U.S. persons and entities from transacting with them. Crypto exchanges, custodians, and payment firms must ensure their screening systems are updated to catch these new designations before processing any related transactions.
OFAC Proposes Sanctions Compliance Requirements for Payment Stablecoin Issuers
As part of the joint FinCEN/OFAC rulemaking under the GENIUS Act, OFAC is proposing that permitted payment stablecoin issuers (PPSIs) be required to maintain formal sanctions compliance programs, mirroring obligations already applicable to banks and MSBs. Stablecoin issuers that lack dedicated OFAC screening and compliance infrastructure will need to build these capabilities before the rule is finalized. This is a companion notice to the FinCEN stablecoin AML proposed rule and should be reviewed together with it.
OFAC Updates SDN List: Some Persons Removed, Others Updated
OFAC has published updates to the SDN List, including modifications to identifying information for currently listed persons and the removal of one or more persons whose property has been unblocked. Firms must keep their sanctions screening systems current with both additions and removals to avoid over-blocking legitimate customers and to ensure newly listed parties are caught.
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