Sanctions | FinTelegram News

Category: Sanctions

May 3, 2025

Euroclear’s Release of Frozen Russian Assets: Escalation or Pandora’s Box?

The EU is taking a morally questionable approach to the distribution of frozen Russian assets. Belgian clearing giant Euroclear has begun the unprecedented redistribution of approximately €3 billion from frozen Russian assets to compensate Western investors whose holdings were seized by Moscow-a move that marks a dramatic escalation in the financial standoff between Russia and the EU.

April 7, 2025

Financial Intelligence Update: Garantex and Its Successor, Grinex

Following the shutdown of the Russian crypto exchange Garantex in March 2025, evidence has emerged that its operations have been seamlessly continued under a new platform, Grinex. Despite sanctions and frozen wallets, Grinex has already processed over $29 million in transactions by mid-March 2025, according to an investigation by Swiss blockchain analytics firm Global Ledger.

April 5, 2025

U.S. Treasury Sanctions Crypto Wallets Tied to Russian Exchange and Houthi Terror Network

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned eight crypto wallets tied to the Russian crypto exchange Garantex and Yemen’s Houthi militant group. Blockchain intelligence firms Chainalysis and TRM Labs uncovered nearly $1 billion in suspicious crypto transactions linked to terror financing, including attacks on civilian and military vessels in the Red Sea. This move highlights the growing intersection between digital assets and global conflict zones.

April 2, 2025

Switzerland Freezes $8.4 Billion in Russian Assets Amid Legal and Geopolitical Controversy

As of March 31, 2025, Switzerland has frozen 7.4 billion Swiss francs ($8.4 billion) in Russian assets under sanctions linked to the Ukraine conflict, marking a 28% annual increase from 5.8 billion francs in 2024. This includes financial holdings, 14 properties across six cantons, luxury vehicles, aircraft, artworks, and musical instruments. The assets belong to 1,859 individuals and 541 entities on Switzerland’s sanctions list.

March 21, 2025

FinTelegram Investor Briefing: Garantex Reemerges as Grinex Amid Sanction Evasion

Sanctioned Russian crypto exchange Garantex has allegedly relaunched under the brand Grinex, according to a March 2025 report by Swiss blockchain analytics firm Global Ledger. The rebranded platform is linked to Garantex through on-chain and off-chain evidence, including liquidity transfers, shared infrastructure, and operational patterns.

January 21, 2025

Investor Briefing: Russian Court Judgment in STRABAG Case Heavily Impacting the Austrian RBI!

A recent €2 billion judgment by a Russian court against the shareholders of Austrian construction giant STRABAG, including Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), has sent shockwaves through financial markets. The ruling, which implicates RBI's Russian subsidiary in a contentious legal dispute with Rasperia, raises significant concerns about the bank's exposure to Russian liabilities amidst ongoing Western sanctions.

November 27, 2024

Fifth Circuit Deals Blow to OFAC Overreach: Tornado Cash Smart Contracts Not “Property”!

In a remarkable ruling, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) overstepped its authority by sanctioning Tornado Cash’s immutable smart contracts. The decision reverses a lower court ruling, offering a significant win for privacy advocates and blockchain developers.

November 4, 2024

German Prosecutors Drop Money Laundering Probe Against Russian-Uzbek Billionaire Alisher Usmanov – A Victory for Reputation?

In an interesting development amid the Western sanctions against Russia, German prosecutors have dropped a high-profile money laundering case against Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov. This decision, claimed by his legal team as a vital step in clearing Usmanov's name, follows over two years of investigation without sufficient evidence to support the accusations.

November 1, 2024

Russian Billionaire Avdeev Sells Out for Family Focus – Leaves Russia and Business Behind

Russian billionaire Roman Avdeev has exited his Russian business ventures to prioritize family time with his 23 children. Selling his stake in Rossium Group to Sergei Sudarikov, a prominent Russian entrepreneur and financial services expert, Avdeev marks a complete departure from Russian assets, declaring a shift to personal pursuits over corporate ambitions.

October 30, 2024

Ukraine Slams FATF Decision to Keep Russia Off Anti-Money Laundering Blacklist!

Ukraine has expressed sharp disappointment following the FATF's refusal to blacklist Russia, calling it a "fracture" in the global anti-money laundering system. Kyiv’s demand for tougher financial scrutiny over Russia has once again hit a wall due to a split among member states. Perhaps the international community will come to its senses and seek solutions instead of aggression.

Sanctions

October 28, 2024

G7 Takes Aim at Russia’s Sanctions Evasion Tactics with New Measures!

The G7 finance ministers pledge new actions to counter Russian sanctions evasion, particularly in response to oil price cap violations and the use of shadow fleets. This meeting follows ongoing concerns over Russia’s tactics to circumvent financial restrictions. According to the U.S. OFAC, Russian financial institutions have developed a network of foreign subsidiaries to facilitate the purchase or sale of sanctioned goods.

October 22, 2024

The question: Will the FATF blacklist Russia today?

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an intergovernmental organization that sets global standards for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. Ukraine is currently advocating for Russia's inclusion on the FATF blacklist, citing the country's ongoing aggression and financial misconduct. At the FATF meeting on Oct. 22, 2024, blacklisting Russia is on the topic.

Wirecard’s Jan Marsalek Confirmed as Russian Spy Mastermind in UK Espionage Conviction

A London court has delivered a seismic verdict in the ongoing saga of Wirecard, the collapsed German fintech giant: six Bulgarian nationals have been convicted and sentenced for spying on behalf of Russian intelligence, acting under the direct orders of Wirecard’s fugitive former COO, Jan Marsalek. This marks the first time a court has definitively established that Wirecard, under Marsalek’s leadership.

Odebrecht Scandal: Former BankerPeter Weinzierl Extradited to U.S., Held Without Bail in Brooklyn Jail

Former Meinl Bank CEO Peter Weinzierl has been extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States and is currently in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn. The 59-year-old Austrian banker faces charges related to his alleged involvement in laundering over $170 million in bribes connected to the Odebrecht corruption scandal.

KBH Andelskasse Conviction Exposes Deep-Rooted Fintech-Driven Money Laundering Network

The recent conviction of former KBH Andelskasse CEO Bo Stengaard marks a pivotal yet incomplete chapter in one of Denmark’s most alarming money laundering scandals. While Danish media focuses on Stengaard’s four-month suspended sentence, a broader compliance investigation reveals a sophisticated network involving payment firms Clearhaus and FCA-regulated Moorwand.

Speculative Buy (With Guts)

The Invisible Backbone of Web3: Is Aleph.im the Missing Link Between DeFi and AI?

Aleph.im is one of the most underrated infrastructure plays in Web3 — offering decentralized compute, storage, and indexing services that could power the next wave of AI x DeFi applications. Unlike most layer-1 vanity projects, Aleph.im solves real problems for real dApps: it lets decentralized applications operate without relying on centralized backends like AWS.

Startup on Trial

Startup on Trial: Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos – Visionary or Fraudster? The Final Appeal Denied

Elizabeth Holmes, once celebrated as the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, is now serving an 11-year prison sentence for defrauding investors in her blood-testing startup, Theranos. In May 2025, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dealt her what may be the final legal blow, denying her bid to have her 2022 conviction reheard.