Sanctions 2025 in Review: OFAC’s Enforcement Year at a Glance

As 2025 draws to a close, the enforcement docket of OFAC reflects a year of strong sanctions compliance actions — from massive civil‑penalties against big firms to targeted enforcement against individuals and smaller entities. In total, 13 separate penalties or settlement actions were published in 2025, amounting to US$ 262,643,459 in civil penalties and settlements.

This strong enforcement posture underscores how seriously OFAC continues to treat violations — especially given shifting geopolitical priorities (notably Russia‑ and Iran‑related sanctions), increased regulatory scrutiny, and more robust compliance expectations post‑2022 sanctions expansions.

Notable 2025 Penalties & What They Tell Us 

• Largest penalty — GVA Capital Ltd.: In June 2025, OFAC imposed a US$ 215,988,868 penalty for continuing to manage a U.S. investment tied to a sanctioned Russian oligarch, including failing to comply with an OFAC subpoena.

 • Significant corporate enforcement — Interactive Brokers LLC: The brokerage agreed to pay US$ 11,832,136 for providing services that touched sanctioned jurisdictions including Iran, Cuba, Syria, Crimea, China’s military‑industrial complex, Russia, and Venezuela.

 • Iran‑related sanctions case — Harman International Industries, Inc.: Paid US$ 1,454,145 for violations tied to Iran sanctions.

• Individual enforcement — A U.S. real‑estate investor: Penalized US$ 4,677,552 for willfully purchasing, renovating, and selling property owned by a sanctioned Russian individual despite clear OFAC warnings.

• Mid‑size corporate settlements — Unicat Catalyst Technologies (US$ 3,882,797), Key Holding (US$ 608,825), Fracht FWO (US$ 1,610,775), ShapeShift AG (US$ 750,000).

Trends & Programmatic Focus

 • Russia/Ukraine remains the dominant sanctions program driving enforcement actions, especially where transactions involved sanctioned oligarchs or Russian financial structures.

• “Gatekeeper liability” rose significantly—OFAC expects investment managers, brokers, and financial intermediaries to detect and prevent relationships with sanctioned persons.

• Non‑Russia programs remain active: Iran, Cuba, Syria, and Venezuela sanctions all appeared in 2025 actions.

 • Increased enforcement against individuals, especially in the real‑estate sector, shows OFAC’s widened compliance expectations beyond corporations.

2025 Civil Penalties — List of Entities & Individuals

1. An Individual — 12/09/2025 — US$ 1,092,000 

2. Gracetown, Inc. — 12/04/2025 — US$ 7,139,305 

3. IPI Partners, LLC — 12/02/2025 — US$ 11,485,352 

4. An Individual (Real‑Estate Investor) — 11/24/2025 — US$ 4,677,552 

5. ShapeShift AG — 09/22/2025 — US$ 750,000 

6. Fracht FWO Inc. — 09/03/2025 — US$ 1,610,775 

7. Interactive Brokers LLC — 07/15/2025 — US$ 11,832,136 

8. Harman International Industries, Inc. — 07/08/2025 — US$ 1,454,145 

9. Key Holding, LLC — 07/02/2025 — US$ 608,825 

10. Unicat Catalyst Technologies, LLC — 06/16/2025 — US$ 3,882,797 

11. GVA Capital Ltd. — 06/12/2025 — US$ 215,988,868 

12. Haas Automation, Inc. — 01/17/2025 — US$ 1,044,781 

13. Family International Realty LLC & Individual — 01/16/2025 — US$ 1,076,923 

What This Means for Companies, Investors & Real‑Estate Actors

OFAC’s 2025 enforcement record makes several themes unmistakable:

• Sanctions risk applies to *everyone*: asset managers, brokers, real‑estate investors, import/export firms, and even small corporate actors. 

• Russia‑related sanctions remain the most sensitive and highest‑risk area, drawing the largest penalties. 

• Even “non‑egregious” or self‑disclosed cases resulted in multi‑million‑dollar settlements. 

• Beneficial‑ownership screening, deal‑counterparty verification, and strict internal compliance procedures are now essential to avoiding enforcement exposure.

These developments highlight the growing need for automated due‑diligence solutions, continuous risk monitoring, and accurate sanctions‑data intelligence—areas where Polixis' ARDIS platform continues to provide a competitive edge.