Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

Companies Need to Prepare for U.K. Sanctions Regime Rollout, Lawyers Say

Companies Need to Prepare for U.K. Sanctions Regime Rollout, Lawyers Say

Companies need to be aware of likely changes to the U.K.’s sanctions regime as the end of the Brexit transition period approaches, sanctions compliance attorneys said.

During the transition period, which is set to end on Dec. 31, individuals and companies in the U.K. have been required to comply with the European Union’s sanctions regimes. After the transition, the U.K. would have the freedom to implement its own sanctions regimes.

The U.K. and EU on Thursday announced a post-Brexit agreement over their future relations, covering issues such as trade sharing information in security databases and law enforcement.

Some companies would have to navigate at least three different sanctions regimes after the transition—the U.K.’s, the U.S.’s and the EU’s—adding to compliance complexity, according to lawyers who advise companies.

“[Companies] need to recognize there will be differences coming soon and make sure their monitoring picks up what’s going on in the U.K. regime with regard to the U.S. and EU sanctions,” said Chris Warren-Smith, a partner at law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.

Where do things stand?


The U.K. government has been laying regulatory groundwork for its own sanctions regimes in anticipation of the transition. The U.K. in 2018 passed the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act, which provides the foundation for the government to impose sanctions autonomously. The sanctions would be in the form of asset freezes, visa bans or trade sanctions.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the agency that determines the U.K.’s sanctions policy, has already laid out regulations for more than 30 sanctions regimes, according to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, which implements and enforces the U.K.’s financial sanctions.

“While these regulations are intended to deliver substantially the same policy effects as the existing regimes, you should not assume that they are identical,” a blog post by the enforcement agency said.

Under the new system, the U.K. government in July issued sanctions against 49 individuals and organizations, including dozens of Russian and Saudi nationals, for alleged human-rights abuses.

What’s next?


The consolidated lists of financial sanctions targets the OFSI maintains would be updated on Dec. 31 to reflect all the financial designations made under the U.K.’s regulations, the agency said. The agency issued a bridging document last week to help entities process the changes to the consolidated list, especially if they conduct automated sanctions screening.

Individuals and companies should expect a significant number of changes across multiple fields from the update, the OFSI said.

What should companies do?


While the U.K. sanctions list would inherit most of the EU list, companies need to pay attention to changes introduced in the U.K. that may conflict with sanctions regimes outside the U.K., Mr. Warren-Smith said. “They need to be proactive,” he said.

This may include reviewing processes and monitoring sanctions-screening software. That also means reviewing business activities such as those related to Iran and Cuba, where the U.S. and EU have significantly different approaches, according to Mr. Warren-Smith.

It is important for companies to identify and disclose potential U.K. sanctions violations to regulators as early as possible in an effort to get coordination credit in possible enforcement actions, Mr. Warren-Smith said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×