The Commerce Department held a stakeholder roundtable April 19 for the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council with speakers from U.S. industry, academia and think tanks. Commerce officials heard from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Georgetown University, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and others. The U.S. and the EU are scheduled to hold another TTC meeting in May, which will include discussions on Russia-related export controls (see 2204130045).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 20 issued guidance for holders of credit cards issued by sanctioned Russian financial institutions. The agency said U.S. operators of credit card systems are blocked from processing transactions involving certain sanctioned foreign financial institutions unless exempt by OFAC. Foreign operators of credit card systems whose payment cards are issued by sanctioned banks also risk violating U.S. sanctions if they allow those cards to be used in the U.S., OFAC said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 20 sanctioned more than 40 people and entities -- including Russian commercial bank Transkapitalbank -- for operating a sanctions evasion network. The agency also issued two new general licenses authorizing certain transactions with the bank and sanctioned a range of companies for operating in Russia’s virtual currency mining industry.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on April 21 suspended the export privileges of another Russian airline for violating U.S. export controls against Russia. The agency issued a 180-day temporary denial order for Moscow-based cargo aircraft carrier Aviastar, BIS said in an emailed news release, adding that the order will “hinder” the airline’s ability to deliver military cargo to Russia. Aviastar will be barred from participating in transactions with items subject to the Export Administration Regulations. BIS earlier this month issued temporary denial orders for Russian airlines Aeroflot, Azur Air and UTair.
The U.K.'s more than $3.5 million fine of an unnamed British company over illegal exports of military goods (see 2204040020) lacks transparency, U.K. law firm Macfarlanes said in an April 19 post. The U.K.'s enforcement agency hasn't released any information about the violations that led to the fine despite it being the "largest penalty ever for breach of U.K. arms controls," the firm said.
India is seeking to boost its global wheat exports to fill the gap left by Russia and Ukraine due to the war in Ukraine (see 2204080037), Bloomberg reported April 19. India recently won approval from Egypt, the world's top wheat buyer, to sell to the country, the report said, adding that India is "eyeing" a record 15 million tons of wheat exports this year. Other buyers are concerned with the quality of Indian wheat, the report said. Egypt has imposed quality controls, requiring importers to submit an inspection request for Indian wheat before it's shipped out, Bloomberg said.
UserTesting, a California-based software company, said it may have violated U.S. sanctions by allowing users in Iran to access its platform, the company said in an April 4 SEC filing. The company said it conducted an internal review of its sanctions and export control compliance in “mid-2021” and discovered that Iranian “parties” signed up for a free trial of its platform but “did not make payment to us.” UserTesting also said it found a “limited number of participant accounts that represented themselves as residing in non-embargoed countries but may have accessed our platform from embargoed countries.”
The U.K. removed three entries and corrected another under its Iraq sanctions regime. According to the April 19 notice from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Maki Mustafa Hamudat, Asil Sami Mohammad Madhi Tabrah and Rasheed Bank were removed from the sanctions list. The entry for Omar Sabawi Ibrahim Hasan Al-Tikriti was also corrected to add Yemen as an address for the individual.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued Russia-related General License 27, which allows certain transactions by nongovernmental organizations involving Russia. The license authorizes activities in support of humanitarian projects, democracy building initiatives, education, non-commercial development projects and environmental and natural resource protection in both Russia and Ukraine.
Companies operating in Hong Kong should carefully monitor their transactions to make sure they’re not exposing themselves to Russia-related trade restrictions, which could lead to secondary sanctions, said Hong Kong-based law firm King & Wood. The recent string of international sanctions is “unprecedented” and effects are being felt “by businesses worldwide, including those in jurisdictions such as Hong Kong which has not issued any unilateral sanctions,” the firm said in an April 8 alert.