The Department of Commerce launched the Data Privacy Framework (DPF) program website today, enabling eligible U.S. companies to self-certify their participation in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework …

A Russian citizen alleged to have ties with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) will face charges in a U.S. court today. The charges relate to conspiracy, money laundering, and participating in a …

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), declared the enforcement of financial penalties against two defense companies,  resolving alleged infractions of the antiboycott regulations of the …

New foreign direct investment in the United States dropped by $185.1 billion – or 51 percent – in 2022, compared to the $362.6 billion recorded the previous year, the Commerce Department reported last week. Expenditures by foreign direct investors to acquire, establish or expand US businesses totaled $177.5 billion in 2022, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis report.

The European Commission has adopted its adequacy decision for the European Union-US Data Privacy Framework, concluding that the United States ensures an adequate level of protection – …

The U.S. Treasury Department announced that Andrea Gacki has been appointed as the new Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Previously, Gacki served as the head of the …

The Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) announced their approval of a 400 million dollar credit guarantee for the trading book of a Swiss commodity trader. Financial Institution Buyer Credit (FIBC) policies backstop credit lines for Geneva – based Trafigura to broker natural gas purchases from the US “primarily to European Buyers,” according to the EXIM announcement.

Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions today on Aleksandar Vulin, a high-ranking Serbian official. Vulin has been associated with various illegal activities, including transnational organized crime and drug trafficking. As the Director of Serbia’s Security Information Agency, and former Minister of Defense and Minister of the Interior, Vulin is accused of exploiting his official roles to further Russia's interests in the Western Balkans, negatively affecting the region's stability and security.

Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP, and Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA) today unveiled a key piece of legislation that aims to broaden the …

A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party introduced legislation aimed at …

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the U.S. National Intelligence Director (ODNI) have declared the fulfillment of their commitments under President Joe Biden's Executive Order (EO) 14086 regarding the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. Since 2020, when the European Court of Justice nullified the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield agreement due to concerns about U.S. government surveillance activities, the U.S. and the EU have been on a quest to establish a new data flow mechanism. This decision unsettled transatlantic data transfers and necessitated a resolution that would ensure enhanced privacy and data protection for EU data subjects. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a press statement that the DOJ's designation of EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, as "qualifying states." These designations allow citizens of these nations to seek redress through the proposed Data Protection Review Court, offering enhanced U.S. privacy protections in the process.

Former senior London police officer, Nick Ephgrave, is set to lead the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The agency, known for investigating major business crimes, recently faced controversies and …

 The Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA) includes the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (CS), which assists and advocates for U.S. businesses in international markets.  CS is seeking feedback from the general public—including businesses that are new to exporting or not currently exporting—on ways to modernize services for the 21st century.

Emily S. Weinstein and Kevin Wolf, in their publication for Georgetown University's CSET, propose the application of existing U.S. "catch-all" export controls to manage the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4. They argue that the Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) "catch-all" controls, part of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), could be an effective tool to mitigate potential misuse of AI and LLMs, particularly in the context of weapons development or battlefield deployment.

The European Union has established an anti-circumvention framework, akin to the United States' "secondary sanctions" system, which potentially empowers the EU to sanction third countries that assist trade with nations under sanctions, including Russia. However, EU officials suggest that this framework may be a diplomatic deterrent more than an immediate plan of action, as the bloc seeks to avoid driving these third-party nations towards Russia and China.

On June 27, 2023, the U.S. Department of State published its 2023 Fiscal Transparency Report, revealing that out of 141 global posts surveyed, only 72 governments met the basic criteria for fiscal …

Gateway Recruiting released the results of its 2023 Trade Compliance Salary survey.  The survey shows that the demand for trade compliance professionals remains strong and the pool of qualified candidates remains limited.  This year, the data interestingly shows a rise in compensation within the U.S, while witnessing a drop across most of the rest of the globe. 

31 C.F.R. § 501.603 of the Reporting, Procedures and Penalties Regulations (RPPR) requires holders of blocked property to provide the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) with a comprehensive list of all blocked property held as of June 30 of the current year by September 30.

OFAC will retire the PIP, DEL, and SDALL.ZIP sanctions list file formats on or about August 15, 2023. OFAC will continue to offer for public download, the XML, CSV, and FF file formats, the ZIP files SDN_XML and SDN_Advanced, and PDF versions for OFAC’s sanctions list(s).

A Washington State man recieved suspended punishment for export violations committed five years ago.  Jaeyoun Jung, of Puyallup faces a a two-year denial of his export privileges, suspended for a two-year probationary period, then waived, provided that Jung has not committed another violation, and has completed an export controls compliance training.