The US and UK governments have issued joint sanctions guidance designed to help private sector firms manage their cross-border compliance obligations more effectively.
On June 23, 2026, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and His Majesty’s Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation published guidance setting out key similarities and differences between the two regimes.
The guidance was published under the OFAC-OFSI Enhanced Partnership, a collaborative framework that is now into its fifth year of operation.
The joint publication aims to give businesses and financial institutions a clearer picture of how US and UK sanctions rules interact across multiple jurisdictions.
It covers a broad range of core sanctions topics, including key terminology, sanctions types, sanctions programs, and the lists used by each authority to designate targets.
The guidance also addresses questions of jurisdiction, prohibited and permitted activities, recordkeeping requirements, reporting obligations, licensing procedures, and enforcement rules.
Experts at Squire Patton Boggs noted that the guidance serves as an important reminder that the US and UK share many of the same sanctions compliance goals, despite operating distinct regulatory frameworks.
However, the guidance makes clear that enough differences exist between the two systems to warrant a thorough and careful review by any firm engaged in cross-border transactional activity.
Businesses operating across both jurisdictions are being urged to review their internal compliance programmes against the specific requirements of each regime, rather than assuming alignment between them.
The publication reflects growing regulatory coordination between Washington and London, with both authorities seeking to ensure that private sector actors are not caught out by diverging rules as global sanctions regimes become increasingly complex.
Legal and compliance professionals handling multijurisdictional sanctions matters are expected to treat the guidance as essential reading when advising clients on cross-border transactions involving US or UK counterparties.
The joint effort underscores the broader strategic relationship between the two governments on financial sanctions enforcement, with coordination on this front expected to deepen further throughout 2026.