Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., urged the Trump administration Aug. 8 to consider imposing sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act against those responsible for transnational financial repression of Barlyk Mendygaziyev, a Kazakhstani businessperson based in the U.S.

The Trump administration has failed to use sanctions and export controls to help end Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Democratic staffs of the Senate Banking and Foreign Relations committees said in a report released this week.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., introduced a companion bill Aug. 1 to House legislation that would require the Treasury Department to designate foreign entities that run large-scale scams on Americans as Foreign Financial Threat Organizations (see 2506020044). The Strengthening Targeting of Organized Predatory Scammers Act, or the Stop Scammers Act, would authorize Treasury to freeze the assets of such organizations. Scott’s bill was referred to the Senate Banking Committee.

Organizations complying with Australian anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing rules may soon be required to carry out certain sanctions screening procedures to make sure they’re not violating the country’s sanctions laws.

The U.K. issued a threat assessment June 18 for art market participants and high-value dealers to address Russian sanctions violation risks in the art industry. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said it's "highly likely that high value goods" owned by sanctioned parties in the U.K. haven't been reported to OFSI, and it's "likely" that Russian sanctioned parties and their enablers have dealt with high-value goods in the U.K. in "breach of asset freeze prohibitions."

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., introduced a bill June 10 that would require the State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization.

Reps. Jefferson Shreve, R-Ind., and Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, have introduced a bill that would require the Treasury Department to designate foreign entities that run large-scale scams on Americans as Foreign Financial Threat Organizations, Shreve announced last week.

The U.K. plans to impose swifter and more “robust” penalties on sanctions violators as part of an effort to better deter companies and others from breaching trade and financial restrictions, the country said this week.

The Council of the European Union on April 25 extended its sanctions on Myanmar for one year, pushing them to April 30, 2026. The restrictions currently apply to 106 individuals and 22 entries and include an asset freeze, arms embargo and restriction on the export of dual-use goods and equipment for monitoring communication that may be used for internal repression.

The U.S. should designate the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) for its destabilizing activities in North Africa, according to a new Hudson Institute report.