Strategic Trade Controls/Export Controls

Investigate the role of strategic trade and export controls in preventing the illegal flow of sensitive goods and services, with a focus on compliance, risk management, and enforcement.

Trump’s IEEPA Tariffs – Blurring the Lines Between Trade Sanctions and Traditional Tariffs

The Trump administration’s unprecedented use of tariffs as a tool of national security and foreign policy to compel countries to change policies the U.S. opposes has blurred the lines between tariffs and trade sanctions.

Monthly Sanctions & Export Controls Roundup

Explore this month’s Sanctions and Export Controls Update, highlighting IFI’s take on key developments from the U.S., EU and UK in April 2025.

Intensifying Focus on Export Control Compliance by Banks

This article recaps BIS export control guidance to banks, assesses the likelihood of enforcement action this year, and sets out actions Chief Compliance Officers can take to improve their export control compliance program.

Export Controls, Ethics & Human Rights in Global Trade

International trade is vital for economic growth and global relations, but it involves complex ethical and legal issues, especially regarding human rights. Explore dual use goods, human rights considerations, international regulatory frameworks, and actions for businesses further in this article.

Untangling the Threads of Global Economic Tools

Ever wonder how export controls, sanctions, and proliferation finance differ—and why it matters? This article breaks down these essential tools, explains their unique purposes, and highlights how they often overlap in the real world.

2024’s Top 10 Major Developments

Explore the highlights from our recent webinar including an overview of the current illicit finance landscape, major events in 2024 as well as noted possible future developments as the global illicit finance regime grows and evolves.

Shell Companies as an Enabler of Export Control Violations

Shell companies are a key enabler of export control violations, which represents an extension of their well-established use in other financial crimes. This article provides red flags financial institutions can use to identify shell companies in the export control context and to take action accordingly – which can provide one element in an export control compliance program.

Calibrating the Crosshairs

This article outlines a practical six-step process financial institutions can follow to implement export control red flags within their compliance program. They are referenced as a key requirement in regulatory expectations of financial institutions, which continue to increase in response to recent geopolitical events.

Unverified and Unsure

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security maintains and administers several lists that involve goods, software, and technology, governed by the Export Administration Regulations. The Unverified List is just one of these. What is the Unverified List and what due diligence obligations do entities that transact with parties on the Unverified List have?

New BIS Export Compliance Guidance for Financial Institutions

The U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security recently published guidance for financial institutions on complying with strategic trade controls and discussing best practices, red flags, screening, and reporting. The latest guidance provides greater detail on due diligence and risk management to help financial institutions detect and deter emerging and evolving export controls evasion.