OFAC designates Iran-linked financial firms and DR Congo individuals
Sanctions-screening teams must add six individuals and four Iran-based crypto exchange entities to SDN filters immediately — NOBITEX network carries secondary sanctions exposure affecting non-US counterparties.
Change
On 2 June 2026, OFAC added six individuals and four Iranian financial/crypto entities (BITPIN, NOBITEX, RAMZINEX, WALLEX) to the SDN List under SDGT, IRAN, and IRAN-EO13902 programmes, plus two DR Congo individuals under the DRCONGO programme.
Why it matters
The four Iranian entities are crypto exchange platforms subject to secondary sanctions under IRAN-EO13902; NOBITEX and three linked individuals additionally carry SDGT secondary sanctions risk under EO 13224. Three individuals are explicitly linked to NOBITEX in the SDN entries, creating entity-relationship screening obligations. Two DR Congo individuals (KUBWAYO and NZENZE) are designated under the DRCONGO programme for North Kivu-related activity. OFAC also issued FAQ 1257 providing updated Iran-related guidance.
Implications
- — Bank sanctions-screening teams must add all six individuals and four entities — AGHAMIR MOHAMMAD ALI (both entries), KHOEE, RAD, KUBWAYO, NZENZE, BITPIN, NOBITEX, RAMZINEX, WALLEX — to transaction and customer-screening filters before the next funds-transfer cycle.
- — Crypto-platform compliance teams must block onboarding and freeze accounts linked to BITPIN, NOBITEX, RAMZINEX, and WALLEX — all four carry secondary sanctions exposure under IRAN-EO13902, creating enforcement risk for non-US platforms that continue to service them.
- — Screening teams must apply NOBITEX entity-relationship matching for the three individuals explicitly linked to NOBITEX in the SDN entries (AGHAMIR MOHAMMAD ALI x2, KHOEE) — transactions hitting the individuals create NOBITEX network exposure.
- — KYC teams must ingest the OFAC-provided identifiers (national ID numbers, company registration numbers, website addresses, phone numbers) into match-resolution workflows — omission produces false-negative results against these SDN entries.
Who is affected
- — Bank sanctions-screening teams at correspondent and retail banks
- — Crypto-platform compliance teams and custodians
- — KYC and transaction-screening teams at payment processors