Most frequently asked questions

What is sanctions-intelligence.com - in a nutshell?

Sanctions-intelligence.com offers information about global sanction lists and their characteristics, current developments and analysis as well as information about relevant service providers in this field. This database is designed as a tool for practitioners in the areas of sanctions and embargoes, AML, KYC and other Anti-Financial Crime areas.

Sanctions-intelligence.com is a subset of the Global Compliance Research Directory (GCRD).

What is the purpose of this portal?

Key aspect is to inform about relevant data sources and trends in terms of sanctions, to enable users to conduct own analysis - and to provide information where help can be found when needed.

The purpose of sanctions-intelligence.com is to help ...

• to stay on top of fast changing sanctions developments
• to enable companies to improve their sanctions and AML/KYC functions
• to identify and analyse potential gaps in sanction filtering
• to calibrate sanctions screening systems
• to support sanctions and counterparty research.

Where can sanctions-intelligence.com help?

Sanctions-intelligence.com is designed for users in Financial Services, Industrial Companies, Consulting, Law Enforcement, Journalism and Academics, dealing with Anti-Financial Crime, Sanctions/Embargoes, Export Control and related issues.
Main applications include but are not limited to:

• Sanctions QA
• Sanctions List Management
• Sanctions Due Diligence
• Sanctions Investigations
• Sanctions Screening
• AML KYC Checks
• AML Country Risk Analysis
• AML Investigations
• Export Control
• Counterparty Research
• Law Enforcement and Intelligence

What does sanctions-intelligence.com contain?

The portal contains at the moment four central sections.
Each section is described in greater detail further below.

• Global Sanctions Lists Profiles

  Repository of sanction lists and their characteristics: In-depth sanction profiles with numbers and types of sanctioned parties, country affiliations, data formats, search options, time of last update and more.

• Global Sanctions Updates

  Update tracker on latest developments for US OFAC SDN, EU, UK HMT and UN Consolidated Sanctions Lists Updates. Including entry level details and regulatory news.

• News and Analyses

  This section includes news and articles on sanctions such as analyses on medium and long term figures and trends.

• Directory of relevant commercial products and services

  Links to commercial databases, software products and service providers.

What does the section "Sanctions Updates contain?

Update tracker on latest developments for US OFAC SDN, EU, UK HMT and UN Consolidated Sanctions Lists Updates.

• Overview table of new, removed or changed entries in the monitored lists
• Sanctioned parties entry details

  See which parties have been added or removed and check changes on existing entries.

• Regulatory Updates

  Selected regulatory updates recorded from U.S. OFAC (Recent Actions), European Union (EU Journal), UK HMT Website and United Nations Security Council (Press Releases).

What does the section "News and Analyses" contain?

This section includes news and articles on sanctions such as analyses on medium and long term figures and trends of sanctions lists, based on own methodology.
Example from June 2022: Monthly sanctions update

• At a glance - Executive Summary
• Sanctions Dashboard and Key Figures
• Breakdown: Analysis of Sanctions Programs/Regimes
• Chronology of List Changes
• Sanctioned Parties: Entry Level Details
• Sources and Regulatory Updates
• Comments and Methodology

What does the section "Service Providers and Tools" contain?

Directory of relevant commercial products and services in the field of sanctions, embargoes, AML and KYC. Links to commercial databases, software products and service providers.

• Software Solutions for applications such as:
  • Name Screening
  • Transaction Monitoring
  • List Management
  • Case Management
  • Media Screening
  • ...
• Content and Data: Databases or data-as-a-service solutions involving:
  • Company information
  • Sanction Lists
  • Regulatory Watchlists
  • PEP Lists
  • Negative News / Media
  • ...
• Advisory Services for sanctions-related issues such as:
  • AML/KYC Risk analysis
  • Process development
  • Legal advisory
  • Integrity Due Diligence
  • IT implementation
  • ...

Is the use of sanctions-intelligence.com free of charge?

Parts of the website and selected content are free of charge and do not require a registration.
However, for full access, a subscription is required. Please find details under "Subscription Options".

Do you provide sanctions lists for download?

No. Sanctions-intelligence.com does not offer sanctions lists for download. We provide meta data and analysis.
If you wish to use sanction lists for screening purposes, you may download these lists directly from the respective releasing authority. You can find download links for numerous lists on this website. Otherwise please refer to one of the seasoned commercial providers of sanctions- and watchlists. Some of them will be included on this platform as well.

Do you provide a screening engine?

No, a screening engine is not offered. We provide meta data and analysis.
The idea is to enable you to conduct your screening directly in the primary source or to provide information which commercial providers are available that offer screening services.

Which sanctions lists are covered?

• In the Monitoring and Analysis, the following lists with their sublists are covered
  • U.S. OFAC SDN List and their 76 programs/regimes

    Please note that OFAC SDN List is monitored through download of the US ITA CSL List, not through download of the OFAC SDN list from OFAC website.

  • EU Consolidated List and their 30 programs/regimes
  • UK Consolidated List and their 40 programs/regimes
  • UN Consolidated List and their 15 programs/regimes
• Sanctions Profiling

  You can access detailed sanctions profiles by clicking on the respective entry in the overview table
  The following lists are included in the profiling, with different grade of detail:

  • All of the above, including their programs/regimes
  • Additional lists

In the course of this project, profiles of additional lists from various jurisdictions are planned. Statistical sanction analysis and snapshots are conducted on selected programmes and on a regular basis, from the cited official websites and processed with GCRD methodology. These are preliminary figures only, methodology is under development and subject to change.

How often are profiles updated?

Information on sanctions list changes is updated on a regular basis.
Usually, lists are checked and processed once per day. Tighter timeframes and closer monitoring are possible - please get in touch.
Please note that time lags occur caused by the time spans between:

1. Publication of the list change the in the official organ of the respective authority (for example EU Journal)
2. Release of an updated version of the respective sanctions list by the authority
3. Release of an updated version of the associated list that is used by sanctions-intelligence.com for analysis
   In the case of U.S. OFAC changes, the U.S. ITA CSL is used to track OFAC list changes
4. Download of the respective sanctions list by sanctions-intelligence.com
   At the moment, lists are downloaded at the end of each day. Higher frequencies are available on request.
5. Internal processing of sanctions list by sanctions-intelligence.com algorithms
   Generating meta data and analysis such as counting figures, identification of changes and their details etc.
6. Publication of processed data on sanctions-intelligence.com.

Can already published figures, statistics etc. change?

Yes, figures can change.
Because algoritms are constantly checked, monitored and improved. Changes can occur without notice.

Does this website replace own research and diligence in terms of sanctions?

No, it does not. It is a tool designed to help with information about sanctions. But it does not replace own diligence and research, monitoring and download of sanctions lists. Please see Disclaimer and Terms and Conditions for further information.

I am a vendor or service provider. Can I use your data for my own products or services?

Please get in touch. This requires an approval.
Any commercial or non-commercial use of the data base extending beyond the actual intended use as internal research tool by the Client, in particular within the framework of the own products, requires the previous written approval by GCRD international Dr. Pascal Ditté and is object of a separate agreement.
Please see Disclaimer and General Terms and Conditions for further details and get in touch with us for discussion.