Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled US Issues Full Blocking Sanctions on Sberbank and Alfa-Bank; New and Amended General Licenses; New Investment Ban for Russia on 7 April 2022. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled BIS Imposes Export Ban on Luxury Goods to Russia and Belarus as well as Russian and Belarussian Oligarchs and Malign Actors on 12 March 2022. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled “US Government imposes additional sanctions on Russia, including the Central Bank of the Russian Federation; implements Russia-related executive order” on 2 March 2022. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

On February 21, 2022, the White House issued a new Executive Order that imposes comprehensive sanctions on the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (“DNR”) and Luhansk People’s Republic (“LNR”) regions of Ukraine. Concurrently with the issuance of the Executive Order, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control published six general licenses authorizing certain transactions involving the targeted regions. These sanctions were imposed in response to the Russian Government’s decision to recognize the DNR and LNR as independent from Ukraine on the same day.

In December 2021, the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued four General Licenses (“GLs”) (GLs 16, 17, 18, and 19), published seven new Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”) (FAQs 949, 950, 951, 952, 953, 954, and 955), and amended three FAQs (FAQs 929, 930, and 931), which address primarily authorized humanitarian activities related to Afghanistan OFAC also issued a Fact Sheet titled “Provision of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan and Support for the Afghan People” to provide further guidance on the scope of US sanctions and authorized humanitarian activities in relation to Afghanistan. Key points are summarized below.

On November 12, 2021, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned four entities and two individuals pursuant to Executive Order 14046, “Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons With Respect to the Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis in Ethiopia”. These designations are in response to the growing humanitarian and human rights crisis and expanding military conflict in Ethiopia.

On August 11, 2021, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security issued a joint Fact Sheet: Supporting the Cuban People’s Right to Seek, Receive, and Impart Information through Safe and Secure Access to the Internet and a related press release.

The Virtual Global Trade Conference is a virtual offering for all our clients and friends worldwide. Baker McKenzie’s international trade compliance lawyers from around the world discussed the major developments impacting international trade, in nine one-hour sessions which took place from 13 to 15 July 2021.

Welcome to our Virtual Global Trade Conference, a virtual offering for all our clients and friends worldwide. Baker McKenzie’s international trade compliance lawyers from around the world discussed the major developments impacting international trade. The sessions include trade policy, exports, sanctions, customs, China trade developments and trade developments.

We are pleased to invite you to our Virtual Global Trade Conference. In lieu of our annual conference in Bellevue, WA, we are excited to again provide a virtual offering available to all our clients and friends worldwide! The conference will be comprised of nine one-hour sessions over the course of three days.