What This Means for You
- Treasury sanctioned companies and individuals accused of helping Hizballah raise and move money.
- U.S. and U.K. finance officials held talks to strengthen capital market ties and digital asset coordination.
- FinCEN launched a new whistleblower portal offering potential financial rewards for reporting fraud, money laundering, and sanctions violations.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of the Treasury this past week announced new sanctions targeting financial networks tied to Hizballah, expanded international financial coordination with the United Kingdom, and launched a whistleblower portal aimed at combating fraud and sanctions violations.
The actions were announced in separate statements dated February 10 and February 13.
Sanctions Target Gold and Shipping Networks
On February 10, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, known as OFAC, imposed sanctions on individuals and companies accused of helping Hizballah generate revenue and evade sanctions.
Hizballah has been designated by the U.S. government as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224. Executive Order 13224 is a counterterrorism authority that allows the U.S. government to block property and prohibit transactions involving individuals or entities determined to support terrorism.
Among those sanctioned was Jood SARL, a Lebanese gold exchange company alleged to operate under the supervision of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, an entity previously designated by the United States. Treasury also designated several shipping and procurement entities accused of facilitating commodity transactions involving fertilizer shipments and other goods.
Under U.S. sanctions law, all property and interests in property of designated persons that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving designated individuals or entities unless authorized.
Treasury stated that foreign financial institutions may face secondary sanctions if they knowingly conduct significant transactions for designated persons. Secondary sanctions allow the United States to restrict a foreign bank’s access to the U.S. financial system.
U.S.–U.K. Financial Taskforce Engagement
Also on February 10, HM Treasury in the United Kingdom hosted U.S. Treasury officials in London for senior-level discussions under the Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future.
The taskforce was established in September 2025 by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves to strengthen financial coordination between the two countries.
Discussions focused on improving links between capital markets and collaborating on digital assets. Capital markets refer to financial markets where long-term debt and equity securities are bought and sold.
The taskforce plans additional meetings in the United States and is expected to report recommendations through the UK-U.S. Financial Regulatory Working Group in summer 2026.
New Whistleblower Portal Launched
On February 13, Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN, launched a new webpage to accept confidential whistleblower tips involving fraud, money laundering, and sanctions violations.
FinCEN enforces the Bank Secrecy Act, a federal law requiring financial institutions to help detect and prevent financial crimes.
Individuals who submit information that leads to successful enforcement actions may be eligible for financial awards under the whistleblower program.
Treasury also outlined additional fraud prevention efforts, including investigations into Money Services Businesses, enhanced reporting systems, and a dedicated IRS task force focused on misuse of funds by certain tax-exempt organizations.
More information about the whistleblower program is available at fincen.gov/whistleblower.
Treasury officials said the actions are part of broader efforts to protect the integrity of the U.S. financial system and address national security and fraud risks.
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