OFAC & BIS regulatory intelligence for trade compliance officers.
Trade compliance officers carry criminal exposure on every shipment to a newly-designated entity. OFAC, BIS, UK OFSI, and EU Council sanctions move in real time and the cost of being late is measured in DOJ press releases, not inconvenience. Cresthaven Analytics delivers structured briefs on every material designation, every export-control rule change, every license modification — within minutes of agency publication.
What OFAC & BIS does
The Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control administers U.S. sanctions programs targeting countries, entities, and individuals — including SDN designations, sectoral sanctions, secondary sanctions, and general/specific licenses. The Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security administers export controls under the EAR — Entity List designations, end-user controls, foreign direct product rules, deemed exports. The two agencies publish coordinated designations and rule changes via the Federal Register on a continuous basis. Missed signal here carries direct criminal exposure for compliance and counsel.
Why trade compliance officers need OFAC & BIS intelligence
For a trade compliance officer at a mid-market manufacturer, fintech, or multinational, OFAC SDN designations and BIS Entity List additions move continuously throughout the year. Each new designation creates immediate operational exposure on counterparty relationships, deemed-export determinations, and license-required activities. The cost of being late is measured in DOJ press releases and OFAC settlements, not inconvenience. Missing a single designation can mean processing a sanctioned counterparty for weeks before screening tools update — direct criminal exposure for compliance and counsel.
Recent OFAC & BIS brief from Cresthaven
April 3, 2026 · 08:15 UTC
BIS and OFAC jointly designate 14 Russian defense-sector entities and expand Entity List controls on advanced microelectronics
The Bureau of Industry and Security and the Office of Foreign Assets Control have issued coordinated actions targeting the Russian Federation's defense-industrial base. BIS added 14 entities to the Entity List under Export Administration Regulations § 744 Supplement No. 4, imposing a license requirement for all items subject to the EAR, with a presumption of denial for all license applications. OFAC simultaneously designated the same 14 entities as Specially Designated Nationals under Executive Order 14024, blocking all property and interests in property within U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting all transactions by U.S. persons with the designated parties.
Read the full brief →Recommended tier for trade compliance officers
Professional ($399/month)
Six agencies covers global sanctions and export-control footprint (OFAC + BIS + UK OFSI + EU Council + Australia DFAT + India DGFT). For broader exposure across all regulated sectors, Executive at $999/month covers up to 30 agencies with priority real-time alerts.
View all tiers →Frequently asked
Does Cresthaven cover both OFAC SDN designations and BIS Entity List additions?
Yes. The Sanctions & Export Control vertical covers both agencies, sourced through the Federal Register API for canonical primary-source coverage. OFAC actions include SDN designations, sectoral sanctions, general/specific licenses, and program-level updates. BIS actions include Entity List additions, EAR rulemakings, end-user controls, and foreign direct product rule changes.
How fast does Cresthaven deliver OFAC and BIS briefs after publication?
Within minutes of Federal Register publication. The Atlas pipeline polls the Federal Register API on 30-minute cycles for sanctions and export-control content. Material designations and rule changes pass the materiality triage and generate full briefs within the same publication cycle.
How does Cresthaven differ from ComplyAdvantage or Dow Jones Risk for sanctions intelligence?
ComplyAdvantage, Dow Jones Risk, and World-Check are screening systems — they match counterparty names against the SDN and adjacent watchlists for operational screening. Cresthaven Analytics is the intelligence layer — when OFAC designates a new entity or modifies a program, you get the brief explaining the rationale, scope, and exposure implications. The two solve different problems and pair naturally.
What is the cheapest tier for global sanctions and export-control coverage?
Basic at $149 per month covers 3 agencies. A typical sanctions-focused setup is OFAC/BIS + UK OFSI + EU Council for the three primary Western sanctions regimes. Add Australia DFAT, India DGFT, or Japan METI at $29 per month each. For broader cross-jurisdictional coverage including trade-policy regulators (USTR, ITC, EU DG Trade), Professional at $399 per month covers 6 agencies.