📰 Sanctions Are Evolving — Is Your Compliance Engine?
Why the EU’s 18th Sanctions Package Should Prompt a RiskTech Upgrade
📰 Sanctions Are Evolving — Is Your Compliance Engine?
Why the EU’s 18th Sanctions Package Should Prompt a RiskTech Upgrade By Chris Windley | Draft Article, 20 July 2025
The EU has just launched its 18th sanctions package against Russia — and this one hits harder, goes deeper, and signals a major shift in how regulators are thinking.
For the first time, we’re seeing:
A lowered price cap on Russian oil ($47.60/barrel, Reuters)
Direct action against Rosneft’s Indian refinery
Sanctions on 22 Russian banks
Restrictions on Chinese financial institutions aiding evasion
Moves against Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 infrastructure
But perhaps most important is what EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described as a crackdown on grey schemes and international enablers.
In other words: it's no longer just about who you deal with — it's about who they're connected to.
🧠 This Is Why Sanctions Screening Needs a Rethink
For UK firms, FinTech platforms, and legal/compliance teams still relying on static sanctions lists and basic name-matching tools, this shift presents a real problem.
You need to know:
Who’s behind the entity?
Where are the assets flowing?
What indirect relationships exist?
Are any Chinese or offshore entities acting as shadow facilitators?
That’s where YouControl steps in.
⚙️ From List-Based to Network-Based Sanctions Compliance
YouControl is a Ukrainian-built open data platform designed specifically to:
Map ownership networks across borders
Surface director connections, PEP risk, and sanctions proximity
Trace control structures and Ultimate Beneficial Owners ( UBOs ) across jurisdictions
Deliver structured, real-time updates from OFAC, EU, UN, UK HMT, and more
It’s already being used in Europe to flag:
Russian-linked assets rerouted via India
Director swaps used to evade sanctions
Offshore shell companies connected to sanctioned actors
🇺🇦 From Wartime Ukraine to Peacetime UK Compliance
YouControl was forged under fire — literally — as part of Ukraine’s national defence and corporate transparency mission. But it was built with Western compliance expectations in mind.
Now, as it expands into the UK, it’s offering British compliance platforms, FinTechs, and law firms the ability to:
Plug real-time sanctions intelligence into onboarding workflows
Automate deeper screening of counterparties and supply chains
Detect hidden exposure to Russian-linked capital, Chinese intermediaries, or state-backed deals
🛡️ Grey Schemes Are Dying — But Only If You See Them
The EU has said the quiet part out loud: sanctions loopholes are now the battlefield. That includes dual-use goods, shadow banking, foreign refineries, and beneficial ownership plays.
If you’re still screening names, you’re not screening risk.
📩 The Ask
If you build or operate a KYC/AML platform, work in FinTech, LegalTech, or corporate due diligence, or you're advising high-risk sectors like energy, logistics, or finance — now is the time to test better tools.
YouControl is live. Its API is ready. The game has changed.
Want a walkthrough? DM me or ask for a YouControl UK intro.