OFAC removes 125 sanctions listings in third modernization round
On October 5, 2026, OFAC removed 125 individuals and entities from its sanctions lists and updated 22 other entries. Treasury says the removed entries lacked sufficient information for robust compliance screening.
The US Treasury announced on October 5, 2026 that OFAC removed 125 individuals and entities from its sanctions lists and updated 22 entries. Treasury describes this as the third round of its sanctions modernization effort, which Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent announced in May.
According to Treasury, several of the removed entries were deceased people, defunct companies, or listings with too little identifying information for reliable screening. Treasury describes the removed entries as lacking sufficient information for robust compliance screening. OFAC also added new identifiers to some entries and removed outdated ones.
OFAC's list of removals covers entries under the Iraq, Colombia-related narcotics (SDNT), Venezuela and Belarus programs. According to Treasury, OFAC conducted an interagency review to ensure the removals would not harm US foreign policy or national security interests.
Why it matters to AML professionals
Screening teams should load the updated SDN List and check whether any open alerts, blocked payments or rejected transactions involved the removed names. Changed identifiers on the 22 updated entries may also change match results, so AML professionals should review tuning and any internal good-guy lists that reference these entries.
Red flags in this case
- A customer or counterparty previously matched to a removed listing now clears screening, so earlier holds need a documented review rather than automatic release.
- Updated identifiers on an existing listing now match a customer who did not match before.
- A party asks to resume activity immediately after a delisting without providing updated due diligence information.
Sources
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