Sanctions and AML Insights

US sanctions are among the world’s most influential and far-reaching tools for enforcing foreign policy, national security, and international norms. Administered mainly by OFAC and BIS, these measures range from broad country embargoes to targeted restrictions on individuals, companies, and sectors tied to terrorism, WMD proliferation, corruption, and human rights abuses. Firms must screen against key US lists like the SDN List and Entity List and comply with complex rules, including the “50 Percent Rule” for ownership. Non-compliance risks enormous fines and reputational harm, making up-to-date screening, ownership checks, and staff training essential for global businesses navigating US extraterritorial reach.

Shelf companies are legally registered but inactive firms held by brokers until sold to buyers seeking a ready-made business entity. While legitimate uses exist — like saving time or enhancing perceived business credibility — shelf companies can pose serious compliance risks. Criminals may exploit them to hide beneficial ownership, launder money, commit fraud, or evade taxes by layering them within complex offshore structures. Detecting shelf companies requires careful due diligence, robust ownership verification, and monitoring for sudden suspicious activity. Regulators worldwide are tightening transparency rules, but firms must proactively screen clients and understand when a dormant company could mask criminal conduct.

Looking for a better way to screen contacts, companies, and deals for sanctions, PEP, and watchlist exposure directly in HubSpot? The new sanctions.io + HubSpot integration brings real-time sanctions screening directly into your CRM - making compliance faster, easier, and more secure.

‍In today’s fast-paced regulatory environment, compliance teams face an uphill battle. Juggling multiple tools, managing disjointed workflows, and ensuring consistent sanctions screening is time-consuming and error-prone. At sanctions.io, we believe that compliance shouldn’t come at the cost of productivity. That’s why we’ve built a powerful new integration that brings our industry-leading sanctions screening engine directly into Salesforce.

In 2025, the need for advanced Anti-Money Laundering (AML) software has become critical for banks navigating increasingly complex regulatory landscapes and evolving financial crime threats. This article reviews the key features of leading AML platforms - including real-time transaction monitoring, AI-driven risk scoring, integrated KYC/CDD, behavioural analytics, and cloud scalability - while highlighting top vendors such as NICE Actimize, Oracle, and ComplyAdvantage. It also spotlights sanctions.io for its comprehensive, API-friendly, and cost-effective approach. Ultimately, modern AML solutions empower banks to enhance compliance, reduce costs, detect threats proactively, and maintain customer trust across global operations.

Todd Burkhalter's $300 million Ponzi scheme stands as one of the most sophisticated financial frauds in recent history, deceiving investors through fake returns, shell companies, and polished documentation. Built on trust and personal relationships, the scheme operated undetected for years until a whistleblower triggered an investigation that revealed massive asset misrepresentation and misuse of funds. The case exposed critical regulatory gaps, prompted calls for tighter oversight, and accelerated adoption of AI-driven AML and fraud detection tools within financial institutions. It also severely impacted investor trust, highlighting the need for stronger due diligence, transparent advisor vetting, and a proactive compliance culture to guard against future financial crimes.