Daily · US Sanctions and Reporting Relief · August 14, 2026

US sanctions and ownership transparency

The US Treasury’s OFAC has updated the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, blocking property and interests in property under US jurisdiction for newly added persons. Businesses must immediately screen partners against this list to avoid severe penalties. Simultaneously, FinCEN has finalized a rule narrowing beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements. This change exempts reporting companies from providing BOI for U.S. person beneficial owners, and exempts U.S. person company applicants entirely. This reduction in scope lowers the administrative burden for companies managing their ownership disclosures. Our read: US authorities are simultaneously tightening the perimeter on sanctioned individuals while easing transparency hurdles for domestic business owners.

Market infrastructure and reporting obligations

In the EU, ESMA is implementing a new weekly reporting framework for commodity derivatives positions, which goes live on September 3, 2026. Market participants must ensure their submissions align with XML schema version v2.0, necessitating a technical update to reporting systems to avoid non-compliance. In the US, the SEC has granted 24X National Exchange LLC temporary conditional relief to permit certain overnight trading, effective January 24, 2027. This provides a regulatory pathway for expanded trading hours. Additionally, The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC has amended its transaction fees at Options 7, Section 2, which requires a cost assessment for firms trading on the exchange. Our read: While the US is experimenting with expanded market access, the EU is prioritizing technical standardization in reporting.

Executive accountability in the UK

The FCA has banned and fined the former CEO and managing director of Blue Horizon Asset Management for making false and misleading statements. This enforcement action emphasizes the UK regulator's focus on personal accountability for senior executives regarding the accuracy of corporate communications.

This overview is informational, not legal or compliance advice. Consult your lawyer or compliance specialist on specific decisions.

Sources

This overview is based on official regulator publications for the period:

CH (1)

EU (1)

UK (7)

US (10)