Understanding OFAC, EU, and UN Sanctions Lists: Definition, Purpose, Examples

Key takeaways

• Sanctions are policy tools used to influence behavior and protect international peace. They can restrict trade, financial transactions, travel, or arms transfers to pressure individuals, entities, or states that violate international norms, such as engaging in terrorism, nuclear proliferation, or human-rights abuses.
• OFAC, EU, and UN sanctions lists serve different but complementary roles. The UN sets globally binding sanctions through Security Council resolutions, the EU enforces both UN-mandated and autonomous regional measures, and the U.S. OFAC targets threats to national security through its extensive sanctions programs and the SDN list.

What are global sanctions and their purposes?

Global sanctions are legally enforced restrictions imposed by governments or international bodies to deter activities that threaten international peace, security, or economic stability.

They use diplomatic and economic pressure, rather than military force, to influence the behavior of states, organizations, or individuals involved in terrorism financing, nuclear proliferation, cybercrime, and human-rights violations. These measures limit access to financial systems, disrupt trade routes, and constrain mobility to prevent resources from supporting harmful activity.

Types of international sanctions. Source: Sanction Scanner

Sanctions can appear in several forms:

• Economic and financial restrictions that limit trade, access to banking systems, investments, or capital markets.
• Diplomatic limitations that suspend official engagement between governments.
• Arms embargoes that prohibit the transfer of weapons or dual-use military equipment.
• Travel bans that restrict movement of designated individuals across specific jurisdictions.

Implementation varies based on jurisdiction:

• Multilateral bodies such as the United Nations Security Council issue sanctions that member states are legally required to follow.
• Regional authorities like the European Union coordinate enforcement across member nations.
• Individual governments publish and maintain their own sanctions lists based on national security priorities.
• Secondary sanctions extend risk to third parties that knowingly transact with sanctioned entities, increasing compliance exposure across global supply chains.

The purpose of sanctions is to deter harmful behavior, enforce international norms, and restrict access to financial and logistical networks capable of supporting prohibited activities. For global trade companies, properly identifying sanctioned entities and understanding jurisdictional requirements are essential to avoiding penalties, shipment disruptions, and reputational damage.

Understanding OFAC, EU, and UN sanctions lists

OFAC, EU, and UN sanctions are regulatory measures that restrict trade, financial activity, and international engagement with individuals, entities, or countries involved in activities that threaten global security, compliance standards, or foreign-policy interests.

While the UN sets binding sanctions through Security Council resolutions, the EU and the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) maintain their own independent sanctions regimes with additional designations and enforcement scopes.

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Understanding OFAC, EU, and UN sanctions lists

1. About OFAC

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of the Treasury responsible for administering and enforcing economic and trade sanctions tied to U.S. foreign-policy and national-security objectives. These measures restrict financial access, block assets, and prohibit commercial transactions involving individuals, entities, or governments associated with terrorism financing, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, corruption, human-rights violations, and weapons-of-mass-destruction proliferation. Sanctions can be comprehensive, targeting entire sectors or jurisdictions, or targeted to minimize unintended impact on civilian populations.

How OFAC works. Source: WallStreetMojo

There are two primary enforcement layers within OFAC sanctions:

• Primary sanctions apply directly to U.S. individuals, businesses, and organizations, prohibiting them from engaging in financial or commercial activities involving sanctioned parties.
• Secondary sanctions apply to non-U.S. persons or companies, imposing consequences such as restrictions on U.S. market access or exclusion from the U.S. financial system if they continue to transact with sanctioned targets.

OFAC maintains several sanctions lists, with the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List serving as the most prominent. Designated individuals and entities on the SDN list have their assets frozen under U.S. jurisdiction, and U.S. persons are broadly prohibited from dealing with them. Additional OFAC lists include:

• Foreign Sanctions Evaders (FSE) List
• Non-SDN Iran Sanctions Act (NS-ISA) List
• Sectoral Sanctions Identifications (SSI) List
• List of Foreign Financial Institutions Subject to Correspondent or Payable-Through Account Sanctions (CAPTA List)
• Non-SDN Palestinian Legislative Council (NS-PLC) List

These lists can be searched collectively through the OFAC Sanctions List Search tool (sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov). The platform uses approximate string matching (fuzzy logic) to detect potential hits, even if names are misspelled or partially entered. Users can adjust a confidence threshold via a slider to expand or narrow search results, and must review associated program codes, which specify the legal authorities and restrictions tied to each designation. While helpful, this tool does not replace proper due diligence, nor does its use limit liability for violations.

Beyond the web-based search tool, OFAC offers the Sanctions List Service (SLS), which provides up-to-date downloadable sanctions data, including:

• Individual SDN datasets
• Consolidated non-SDN datasets
• A Customize Sanctions Dataset feature that allows users to assemble tailored datasets by selecting specific programs or lists

The Sanctions List Service (SLS). Source: OFAC

SLS also integrates the same search capabilities found in the web application. For global trade companies, access to consolidated, machine-readable sanctions data supports automated screening workflows, reduces manual review time, and strengthens compliance efforts across procurement, partner onboarding, supplier vetting, and customer due diligence.

Together, OFAC’s lists, search technology, and downloadable datasets form one of the most influential sanctions-compliance ecosystems worldwide, amplified by the dominance of the U.S. dollar and the global reach of secondary sanctions.

2. About E.U.

The European Union (EU) enforces sanctions as part of its Common Foreign and Security Policy to maintain international peace, defend human rights, and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. All sanctions adopted by the United Nations Security Council are automatically incorporated into EU law, while the EU also introduces autonomous sanctions to respond to regional conflicts, terrorism financing, and human-rights abuses. These sanctions are legal instruments adopted by the EU Council and are binding across all member states.

Most EU sanctions are targeted measures designed to minimize humanitarian impact. They commonly include:

• Asset freezes and financial restrictions: Blocking access to funds, securities, or property owned by listed persons or entities.
• Travel bans: Preventing sanctioned individuals from entering or transiting through EU territory.
• Prohibition on providing funds or resources: Banning EU persons or companies from making financial or economic assets available to listed parties.

The EU also adopts sectoral sanctions targeting key economic areas such as:

• Energy and transport: Export bans on goods, technologies, and related services.
• Finance and banking: Restrictions on loans, securities transactions, and access to EU capital markets.
• Defense and dual-use goods: Prohibitions on exporting military or surveillance equipment that could be used for repression.

EU Sanction. Source: European Union

The European Union Sanctions Lists form the operational backbone of the EU’s sanctions framework, identifying all individuals, entities, and sectors subject to restrictive measures. Each listing carries legal force across all EU member states and must be observed by businesses, financial institutions, and individuals under EU jurisdiction. These lists are essential compliance tools for organizations engaged in cross-border trade, finance, or logistics within or with the EU.

The core reference is the EU Financial Sanctions List (Consolidated List), a comprehensive database maintained by the European Commission that compiles every person, group, and entity subject to EU financial sanctions. It is:

• Regularly updated and available in multiple downloadable formats (PDF, XML, CSV).
• Integrated with legal references showing the exact Council Decision or Regulation establishing each designation.
• Designed for automated screening systems and corporate compliance platforms to ensure real-time monitoring of sanctioned parties.

Complementing this, the EU Sanctions Map (available at sanctionsmap.eu) provides an interactive, visual overview of all active EU sanctions regimes. It allows users to:

• Search by country, region, or theme (e.g., terrorism, cyberattacks, human rights).
• Review types of measures in force, such as asset freezes, sectoral bans, or travel restrictions.
• Access the official legal acts and Council Decisions that define each sanctions regime. This tool is particularly useful for compliance officers and exporters assessing regional exposure and risk before entering new markets or partnerships.

Additional official sources strengthen transparency and legal accuracy:

• European Commission official publications regularly announce new sanctions packages, detailing the individuals, companies, and sectors affected. These communications provide early insight into evolving enforcement priorities.
• The Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) remains the only legally binding source, publishing the full text of every adopted sanctions act, amendment, or delisting. Each entry includes annexes specifying sanctioned persons and entities, ensuring traceability and legal validity.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has imposed 15 comprehensive sanctions packages, forming one of the most extensive and coordinated economic responses in modern history. These sanctions supplement earlier measures introduced in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol and are designed to:

• Demonstrate the unity and resolve of Western democracies.
• Degrade Russia’s military capabilities and industrial base.
• Restrict its economic capacity to sustain aggression against Ukraine.

Current EU sanctions related to Russia apply to 1,783 individuals and 469 entities, including President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, oligarchs such as Roman Abramovich, members of the Russian parliament, and senior officials involved in war crimes, deportations of Ukrainian children, and attacks on civilian infrastructure. Most sanctioned entities are connected to Russia’s defense and military-industrial complex.

The sectoral restrictions are equally far-reaching. They block financial transactions, suspend EU services to Russian companies, and prohibit trade in critical industries such as defense, energy, transport, and media. In December 2023, the EU joined the G7 initiative to ban Russian diamond imports, cutting off one of Russia’s key revenue streams. Additionally, approximately €260 billion in Russian Central Bank assets have been immobilized across G7 and EU jurisdictions, with two-thirds held within the EU.

Sanction regimes sizes. Source: European Union

The EU has also extended its sanctions beyond Russia, targeting third-country actors that support Moscow’s military operations.

• Belarus faces restrictions on trade in firearms, aviation, and dual-use technologies; a ban on Belarusian transport operators; and a SWIFT exclusion for four Belarusian banks. The EU also restricts financial inflows and euro transactions with Belarus.
• Iran was sanctioned in July 2023 under a new regime addressing its supply of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia. The sanctions include measures against Iranian drone manufacturers and restrictions on UAV component exports.
• North Korea (DPRK) has also been targeted, with sanctions on companies and individuals involved in arms shipments to Russia imposed in February 2024.

Beyond military and economic measures, the EU remains deeply concerned about the deteriorating human-rights situation in Russia. It has condemned increasing repression against civil society, journalists, and political opposition. Following the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a Siberian prison in May 2024, the EU introduced a new sanctions framework against individuals responsible for human-rights abuses and the erosion of democracy in Russia.

3. About UN

The United Nations (UN) Sanctions Lists are the foundation of the global sanctions system, maintained by the UN Security Council (UNSC) under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to uphold or restore international peace and security. These measures are legally binding for all 193 UN member states and target individuals, entities, or regimes involved in activities such as terrorism, nuclear proliferation, human-rights violations, and armed conflict.

Sanctions imposed by the Security Council are often called “smart sanctions” because they focus on specific actors and actions rather than entire nations. They may include:

• Asset freezes – preventing access to or movement of financial resources and economic assets.
• Travel bans – restricting designated individuals from entering or transiting through UN member states.
• Arms embargoes – prohibiting the sale or transfer of weapons and military-related materials.

Since 1966, the UN has established 31 sanctions regimes, covering countries and issues from Southern Rhodesia and South Africa to Iran, Libya, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and Mali. Currently, there are 14 active regimes, including those on ISIL (Da’esh) & Al-Qaida, North Korea, Yemen, and South Sudan. Each regime is overseen by a dedicated Sanctions Committee, supported by Monitoring Groups and Panels of Experts that track compliance and report violations.

UN Sanction List latest update. Source: AML Watcher

The UN Security Council Consolidated Sanctions List combines all individuals and entities designated under these regimes into one searchable database. This master list enables financial institutions, governments, and international organizations to screen transactions and ensure compliance with UN mandates. Each listing includes detailed identifying information: names, aliases, dates of birth, addresses, and reasons for listing, to support accurate implementation by national authorities.

One of the most significant and active frameworks is the ISIL (Da’esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions List, established under Resolution 2253 (2015) and updated through Resolution 2734 (2024). It currently contains 254 individuals and 89 entities. Measures include asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes. Each update is accompanied by a narrative summary of reasons for listing, and every change is announced through an official UN press release. The Committee also works with INTERPOL to issue INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notices, facilitating international information-sharing and law-enforcement coordination.

The listing process begins when a Member State submits a formal request to the relevant Sanctions Committee, including a detailed statement of case, supporting evidence, and identifying data.

• Requests must outline specific findings, links to existing listed persons or groups, and evidence that the criteria are met (e.g., intelligence reports, law-enforcement records, or judicial findings).
• Listings can cover individuals, groups, or entities such as corporations, militias, or networks.
• The Sanctions Committee reviews submissions and, upon consensus, adds the names to the relevant regime’s sanctions list.

For delisting, individuals or entities can request removal by petitioning the relevant Sanctions Committee or submitting a case through the UN Ombudsperson, an independent body created under Resolution 1904 (2009).

The Ombudsperson investigates delisting requests, especially those under the ISIL and Al-Qaida regimes, by gathering information from petitioners, member states, and monitoring bodies before making recommendations for removal. This mechanism reflects the UN’s effort to ensure fairness, transparency, and due process in sanctions administration.

Implementation of UN sanctions relies on national enforcement. Member states are obligated to transpose UN measures into domestic law and ensure local compliance. Examples include the UK’s SAMLA 2018 and Canada’s United Nations Act, which provide the legal foundation for enforcing UN sanctions through customs, law enforcement, and financial regulators.

• Customs authorities oversee import/export restrictions.
• Financial intelligence units (FIUs) monitor and report suspicious financial activity.
• Law-enforcement agencies investigate and prosecute violations, which are criminal offenses in many jurisdictions.

Businesses, banks, and trade organizations use the UN Consolidated Sanctions List to screen customers, suppliers, and transactions. Effective compliance programs require constant monitoring of updates, as listings change frequently based on Security Council resolutions.

The adoption rate of UN sanctions remains high. Roughly 76% of sanctions measures receive approval from all 15 Security Council members without a veto, reflecting broad consensus among major powers like China, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Russia. However, implementation challenges persist, as not all countries possess the legal or technical capacity to enforce sanctions domestically. Continued coordination among UN members, supported by transparency and clear enforcement mechanisms, remains critical for maintaining the credibility and effectiveness of the global sanctions framework.

Conclusion

Sanctions shape the rules of international trade: determining who can buy, sell, and move goods across borders. The UN sets globally binding measures to safeguard peace, the EU builds on them through regional and thematic enforcement, and the U.S. OFAC extends its reach through global financial systems. Together, these frameworks influence every shipment, transaction, and partnership in motion today.

To keep pace with that complexity, organizations need compliance systems that move as fast as trade itself. yTrade’s Sanctions & Compliance Monitoring integrates 650+ global watchlists, including OFAC, EU, and UN, and enriches them with ownership, trade, and jurisdictional intelligence. It enables compliance teams to detect exposure instantly and maintain confidence in every transaction.

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