Trade Compliance Brief - Export Control and Sanctions Insights

In this episode of the Trade Compliance Podcast, we break down the Department of Justice’s recent enforcement action against Honeywell Aerospace. Honeywell agreed to a $2.04 million settlement to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act (FCA) for failing to meet vital U.S. Department of Defense cybersecurity requirements. We explore how technical non-compliance with NIST SP 800-171 translate...

In this episode of Trade Compliance Brief - Export Control and Sanctions Insights , we dive into the recent Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) settlement with Texas-based neuroscience company Plexon, Inc. We unpack how eight shipments of neural recording data acquisition systems routed through an Asian distributor resulted in a massive $1.7 million suspended penalty and a suspended five-year de...

In this episode of the podcast, we dissect the landmark ITAR Consent Agreement between BAE Systems, Inc. and the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC). What happens when one of the world's largest defense contractors faces massive export control violations? We break down the $36 million civil penalty and explore the DDTC's strategy of suspending half of th...

In this episode of the Trade Compliance Brief, we unpack the August 12, 2026 OFAC enforcement action against Rice Lake Weighing Systems. The company settled for $60,764 after its Italian subsidiary facilitated indirect exports to Iran via a UAE distributor. We dive deep into the regulatory mechanics of this case, exploring the liability of U.S. parents for their foreign subsidiaries following the...

In this episode, we unpack the immediate and severe compliance challenges triggered by China’s State Council Decrees 834 and 835. Enacted in the spring of 2026, these regulations represent Beijing's most significant escalation in countering foreign sanctions, export controls, and extraterritorial jurisdiction. If your organization conducts supply chain audits, enforces global sanctions policie...

In this episode of Trade Compliance Brief - Export Control and Sanctions Insights , we unpack a landmark judicial development out of China that fundamentally alters how multinational companies manage international sanctions clauses. The Supreme People's Court of China recently published a representative case in which the Shanghai Maritime Court ruled against a Singaporean carrier for refusing...

In this episode of the Trade Compliance Brief, we break down the recent UK Government Notice to Exporters (2026/17) detailing a massive £6.4 million compound settlement between HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Airbus Operations Limited. We unpack the specific breaches under the Export Control Order 2008, focusing on how systemic record-keeping failures related to Open General Export Licences (OGE...

How did over $6.3 million in sanctioned metallurgical and shipbuilding equipment reach the Russian Defense-Industrial Complex? In this episode of the Trade Compliance Brief, we break down the recent OCCRP investigation into Redwing Metal, a Turkish intermediary utilized to bypass EU export bans. We analyze the complex beneficial ownership structures involved—specifically the role of an EU national...

How do export control authorities dismantle third-country circumvention networks? In this episode of the Trade Compliance Brief , we analyze the recent high-profile prosecution of two German managing directors who bypassed EU sanctions to supply Russian entities. We break down the anatomy of their scheme—which utilized shell companies in Turkey and Kyrgyzstan to ship 65 consignments of engineering...

How do 164 heavy trucks bound for Kazakhstan disappear into Russia? In this episode, we unpack the landmark Finnish sanctions evasion case involving Idän Liikenteenvälitys IL Oy and its CEO, Risto Riihimäki. Sentenced to nearly four years in prison, Riihimäki’s case serves as a stark warning to the logistics and transport sectors about the severe consequences of violating EU sanctions. We break do...

In this episode of the Trade Compliance Brief, we dive into the latest regulatory crackdown from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). On June 29, 2026, the SEC penalized Merrill Lynch $7.5 million for systemic failures in their Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) programs. Discover how a flawed, rigid threshold in an automated transaction monitoring syste...

In this episode of the Trade Compliance Brief , we break down the June 22, 2026, regulatory action by China’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) targeting 46 US companies. Moving beyond the headlines, we analyze the critical compliance nuances of this government procurement ban—specifically the strategic exemption for US-funded enterprises operating within China. We explore what this means for global suppl...

In this episode of the Trade Compliance Brief, we break down the historic enforcement action taken by the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) against UK travel technology provider Sabre Global Technologies Limited (SGTL). Resulting in a record-setting civil monetary penalty of £1,000,920.59, this case marks a major turning point in UK sanctions enforcement strategy. We dive deep...

On June 16, 2026, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced a landmark $36,184,680 settlement agreement with Stuttgart-based Robert Bosch GmbH. The enforcement action stems from the unlicensed export of over $72.3 million worth of foreign-produced Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor products and cell phone software to Huawei Technologies Co. and its af...

Welcome to the latest edition of our trade compliance podcast. In this episode, we unpack the unprecedented geopolitical and regulatory shockwave that forced Anthropic to pull its most advanced AI models—Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5—offline globally. Triggered by an emergency export control directive from the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Anthropic was reportedly given just 90 minutes t...

In this episode, we break down the critical compliance lessons from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) June 1, 2026, enforcement release. Global business advisory firm FTI Consulting, Inc. has agreed to pay $1,050,000 to settle potential civil liability for apparent violations of Russia-related sectoral sanctions. The case centers on a fundamental complia...

In this episode, we break down the historic $275 million settlement between the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and India’s Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) announced in May 2026.  This case represents a watershed moment for non-U.S. companies operating in high-risk energy corridors, highlighting how easily a foreign entity can trigger severe U.S. civil lia...

In this episode, we break down the major April 2026 Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) enforcement action against GE Aerospace. Securing a $36 million civil penalty and a 36-month Consent Agreement, this case is an essential case study for international trade compliance professionals. We dissect the 116 ITAR violations, including the infamous "unattended laptop in China" incident...

On May 1, 2026, a sweeping new Executive Order fundamentally reshaped U.S. sanctions policy toward Cuba. Moving beyond the traditional list-based approach, this new framework introduces Sectoral Sanctions and high-stakes Secondary Sanctions for Foreign Financial Institutions (FFIs) . In this brief, we analyze the "Russia Playbook" application to Cuba and what it means for global compliance...

Despite Western trade restrictions, luxury goods are still making their way into Russia. This episode breaks down Poland's recent enforcement actions, including a €4.7 million penalty and multiple arrests, against networks illegally exporting millions of euros worth of luxury vehicles. Learn how transit routes and fraudulent documents are being used to feed the Russian market. 

In this episode, we dive into the growing crisis in U.S. export licensing based on a recent survey by the CSIS . We explore how the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is facing unprecedented backlogs, with more than half of surveyed tech exporters waiting over 180 days for license reviews—well beyond the 90-day statutory limit. Discover how these extended timelines and a lack of transparency ar...

The UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has entered its second decade with a high-stakes mandate. In this episode, we break down the newly released OFSI Strategy 2026-29 , a roadmap that shifts the UK from a reactive posture to a proactive, intelligence-led enforcement powerhouse. If your organization operates in or through the UK, the "PERC" framework is your new comp...

Analysis of the new OFAC "Functional Reality" standard. We discuss the December 2025 enforcement precedents and the 2026 advisory on sham transactions. Essential listening for Trade Compliance and KYC professionals.

The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has just changed the rules of the game for international trade compliance. In this episode, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the landmark March 2026 judgment in Case 4A_305/2025 . This ruling establishes a "statutory moratorium" (Stundung) for debts linked to sanctioned entities under the Swiss Ukraine Ordinance , fundamentally altering how multination...

In this episode, we break down the April 2026 BIS enforcement action against Coastal PVA Technology, Inc. . Learn how 18 violations involving EAR99 semiconductor brushes led to a $1.7 million civil penalty . We explore the dangers of "knowledge" in third-party distributions , the specific risks of shipping to SMIC Beijing and SMIC North , and why "no formal compliance program" is a...