Sanctions and export controls

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Forthcoming change: the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and HM Treasury have confirmed the consolidation of UK sanctions designations into a single list from 28 January 2026. From that date, the UK Sanctions List will be the sole source for UK sanctions designations, and the separate Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) Consolidated List of Asset Freeze Targets will cease to be updated. For more information, see: LNB News 13/10/2025 43.

Conflict in Ukraine

The Practice Note: Sanctions regime—Russia provides an introduction to the UK sanctions regime against Russia under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (SAMLA 2018) and the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/855 and highlights additional sources of guidance and information to assist in understanding the regime and the prohibitions created under it.

The Practice Note: Sanctions regime—Belarus provides an introduction to the UK sanctions regime against Belarus under the SAMLA 2018 and the Republic of Belarus (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/600 and highlights additional sources of guidance and information to assist in understanding the regime and the prohibitions created

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Latest Corporate Crime News

OTSI publishes first annual review outlining enforcement priorities

The Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) has reported on its first year of activity, covering 10 October 2024 to 9 October 2025. OTSI set out how it exercised its civil enforcement powers under the Trade, Aircraft and Shipping Sanctions (Civil Enforcement) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/948  and worked alongside HMRC, other government departments and international partners to support the UK’s trade sanctions framework. It emphasised both enforcement and prevention, noting its role in issuing guidance, supporting compliance and administering the licensing process.

Home Office imposes sanctions on GRU following Sturgess inquiry report

The Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) have imposed sanctions on Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU) in full, along with eight cyber-military intelligence officers, following the publication of the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry’s final report. The inquiry found that GRU operatives carried out the 2018 Novichok attack targeting Sergei and Yulia Skripal, that the operation was personally authorised by President Vladimir Putin, and that the incident led to the death of Dawn Sturgess and endangered members of the public. The government has also summoned the Russian Ambassador in response to the inquiry’s findings.

From chaos to cohesion—a new architecture for contempt of court

Corporate Crime analysis: The Law Commission's Contempt of Court: Report (Part 1) on Liability, published on 17 November 2025, recommends the abolition of the historic civil/criminal contempt divide and the reform of the current law of contempt by way of four new types of contempt. Christopher Gribbin and Molly Vann of Mishcon de Reya LLP examine the Law Commission’s overhaul of the law of contempt, which includes a refreshed general contempt test, targeted offence definitions, and recalibrated rules around publication risk—particularly shifting ‘active’ proceedings from arrest to charge to harmonise with modern privacy jurisprudence. This new framework signals a forward-leaning commitment to clarity and consistency—while quietly acknowledging that the justice system’s information architecture must adapt to an era defined by instantaneous, decentralised communication.

MoJ announces UK among first to recognise digital assets as personal property

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that England, Wales and Northern Ireland are now among the first jurisdictions in the world to confirm in law that digital assets such as cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) can be recognised as personal property. Under the Property (Digital Assets etc) Act 2025, this recognition provides clearer legal protections and aligns digital assets with the treatment given to traditional forms of property. The Act establishes a new category of personal property specifically for digital assets, allowing them to be inherited, transferred and recovered in insolvency proceedings in the same way as traditional assets.

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