UNICORN PRIVATE Sanctions fines for crypto and payment companies
In short
Published cases on this page: 8. Authorities: 3. Years: 2022 to 2026.
In the United States (OFAC, BIS) and in the United Kingdom (OFSI, since 15 June 2022) civil liability is strict: a company can be fined even if it did not know that the counterparty was sanctioned.
Amounts are shown in the currency of the decision and are never converted.
Good to know
- No named crypto case was found in the UK. Wise Payments Limited: breach published by OFSI, no fine.
- The FINTRAC cases (Canada) are anti money laundering penalties, not sanctions violations.
Cases
Cases shown: 8 of 8
| Sector | What happened | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commerciale I.C. - Pacific Inc.Anti money laundering penalty (not a sanctions violation)Appeal pending when verified. | Canada | Crypto and payments | FINTRAC | CA$224,235 | The money transfer business was fined, among other things, for not reporting 110 transactions to or from Iran as the ministerial directive requires. Official source verified on November 13, 2026 | |
| MP Technology Services Ltd. (MoonPay)Anti money laundering penalty (not a sanctions violation)Appeal pending when verified. | Canada | Crypto and payments | FINTRAC | CA$536,853.35 | The company was fined for AML failures, including not reporting attempted transactions from wallets exposed to sanctioned entities. Official source verified on November 13, 2026 | |
| Exodus Movement, Inc.Civil enforcement action (penalty or settlement) | United States | Crypto and payments | OFAC (US Treasury) | $3,103,360 | The company gave support to users in Iran and sometimes told them to use VPNs to hide their location. Official source verified on November 13, 2026 | |
| Xeltox Enterprises Ltd. (Cryptomus)Anti money laundering penalty (not a sanctions violation) | Canada | Crypto and payments | FINTRAC | CA$176,960,190 | The crypto platform was fined for anti-money-laundering failures, including not reporting 7,557 Iran-linked transactions and flows linked to sanctions evasion. Official source verified on November 13, 2026 | |
| ShapeShift AGCivil enforcement action (penalty or settlement) | Switzerland | Crypto and payments | OFAC (US Treasury) | $750,000 | The exchange carried out crypto trades with users in Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria. Official source verified on November 13, 2026 | |
| Binance Holdings, Ltd.Civil enforcement action (penalty or settlement) | Cayman Islands | Crypto and payments | OFAC (US Treasury) | $968,618,825 | For more than five years the exchange matched trades between US users and users in sanctioned countries or blocked persons. Official source verified on November 13, 2026 | |
| Wise Payments LimitedBreach published, no fine | United Kingdom | Crypto and payments | OFSI (HM Treasury) | Breach published, no fine | Wise allowed a £250 withdrawal from the business account of a company owned by a person designated the day before. Official source verified on November 13, 2026 | |
| Payward, Inc. (Kraken)Civil enforcement action (penalty or settlement) | United States | Crypto and payments | OFAC (US Treasury) | $362,158.70 | The exchange served users who appeared to be in Iran because it did not block their IP addresses in time. Official source verified on November 13, 2026 |
Select a column heading to sort the table. Amounts are shown in the currency of the decision and are never converted.
Totals by year and by authority
Sums of the amounts imposed on companies in this list, by currency, never converted. Not included: breaches published without a fine, anti money laundering penalties, confiscations and amounts imposed on individuals. A total marked about or more than includes an amount that the source gives as approximate or as a minimum.
By year
| Year | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | $3,853,360 |
| 2023 | 1 | $968,618,825 |
| 2022 | 1 | $362,158.70 |
By authority
| Authority | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| OFAC (US Treasury) | 4 | $972,834,343.70 |
Frequently asked questions
Have companies in this sector been fined for sanctions violations?
This page lists 8 published cases. The largest amounts are: Binance Holdings, Ltd. (OFAC (US Treasury), November 21, 2023): $968,618,825; Exodus Movement, Inc. (OFAC (US Treasury), December 16, 2025): $3,103,360; ShapeShift AG (OFAC (US Treasury), September 22, 2025): $750,000. No named crypto case was found in the UK. Wise Payments Limited: breach published by OFSI, no fine. The FINTRAC cases (Canada) are anti money laundering penalties, not sanctions violations.
Can a company be fined without knowing that the counterparty was sanctioned?
In the United States and in the United Kingdom, yes, for civil penalties. OFAC states that a US person may be held civilly liable even without having knowledge or reason to know of the violation; BIS civil liability is also strict; since 15 June 2022 OFSI no longer has to prove that a person knew or had reasonable cause to suspect. In the EU the directive requires intent, and serious negligence is enough for military and dual-use goods. In Canada a wilful violation is required. Example from this list: Pegasus Worldwide Logistics (OFAC, 9 October 2026) arranged a shipment of equipment from a sanctioned Chinese supplier without noticing, because of gaps in its checks.
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List not exhaustive, based on public official sources. Date of the last verification: November 13, 2026.
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