Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

A Gameplan for American Economic Security:

Supercharging U.S. Statecraft, from an Economic Pentagon to the Near-Global Economy

To Squeeze Hezbollah, Look to West Africa

With Iran blockaded and weakened, Hezbollah may be increasingly dependent on its West African financial schemes.

The Persian Gulf is the First Test for ‘Operation Economic Fury’

With a ceasefire in place and a military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the Trump administration is now pivoting to economic warfare against the Islamic Republic of Iran. On April 14, the Treasury...

How the UAE Is Cracking Down on Illicit Iranian Finance

Iran’s attacks on the Gulf state have created an opportunity to starve Iran’s proxy network of funds.

The Broken Promise of the Panama Papers, Ten Years On

The scandal thrust financial secrecy into the spotlight. Why is dirty money still such a big problem?

America can bankrupt Iran’s insiders — And it should

Tens of billions of dollars have been siphoned out of the Iranian economy by the Islamic Republic’s insiders over the past decade. If the U.S. wasn’t watching then, it is now. “We...

U.S. Redirects Tehran Regime’s Illicit Wealth to Its Victims

Tehran is getting evicted. For about three decades, the clerical regime has owned prime real estate in Midtown Manhattan. On March 23, the Southern District of New York announced its entry into a settlement...

Strengthening Transparency, Eligibility, and Jurisdictional Scope in Investment Reviews

Treasury Moves To Cut Off Swiss Bank for Aiding America’s Adversaries

An opaque Swiss bank may soon lose its access to the U.S. dollar — and the story of how it got there runs through Venezuela, Russia, and Iran.  The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement...

Delaying the Effective Date of the AML/CFT Program and SAR Filing Requirements for Registered Investment Advisers and Exempt Reporting Advisers

5 Ways to Curb Iran’s Oil Exports to China

Better enforcement of the re-imposed snapback sanctions on Iran could have a decisive effect on its oil exports to China.

China’s money launderers are bankrolling America’s fentanyl epidemic

Money laundering isn’t new — and neither is China’s role in it. Millennia ago, Chinese merchants developed schemes to “clean” the profits of commercial trade and avoid taxation....

U.S. Severs Ties With Mexican Banks Enabling China-Fueled Fentanyl Trade

The war on fentanyl is entering a new phase. The U.S. Treasury Department moved decisively on June 25 against several Mexican financial institutions accused of laundering drug money and fueling the fentanyl...

U.S. Takes Aim at Enablers of Mexican Cartel Oil Smuggling

U.S. law enforcement is cracking down on Mexican cartels — but not in the way you think. In late May, the United States charged members of a Utah family with 1) conspiracy to materially support Mexico’s...

New Syria sanctions relief (and risks) explained

Firms relying on the recent wave of lifted sanctions and exceptive relief will face significant hurdles in verifying that transactions do not benefit excluded actors

Keep the Door Closed to Anonymous Shell Companies

A Comment on FinCEN’s Interim Final Rule Exempting Domestic Companies From Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements Under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)

Economic Statecraft and Advancing U.S. Interests Abroad

Modernizing U.S. Economic Statecraft

Treasury Report Highlights Role of Financial Transactions in America’s Fentanyl Crisis

The Trump administration is intensifying its efforts to resolve America’s fentanyl crisis. On April 9, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released a financial trend analysis of data linked to suspicious...

An Axis of Autocracy?

China’s Relations with Russia, Iran, and North Korea

Chinese Money Launderers’ Guilty Pleas Highlight China’s Role in America’s Fentanyl Crisis

Two Chinese-born individuals pleaded guilty last week to laundering tens of millions of dollars of drug proceeds in coordination with individuals in China and other countries. The case highlights the role...