OFAC’s sanctions search tool checks crypto wallets, but a clean result isn’t a clearance

Treasury's official lookup matches names and exact addresses, yet unlisted wallets and companies can still fall under blocking rules The US Treasury’s sanctions office offers a free, official way to check whether a crypto wallet or company shows up in its records. The Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Sanctions List Search can match names and exact crypto addresses. A hit still needs identity checks, and a miss doesn’t mean the wallet or company is in the clear. For exchanges, custodians, OTC desks and anyone else moving digital assets across borders, that gap matters more every year. OFAC’s list of sanctioned crypto addresses has grown from a curiosity into a sizable dataset. What the tool does, and what it doesn’t OFAC’s Sanctions List Search was first established in May 2021. It is the agency’s primary lookup for the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, the roster of people, companies and entities US persons are generally barred from dealing with. Users can type in a name or paste a digital currency address. For addresses, the tool runs an exact-match search. A positive result is a starting point, not a verdict. Names can overlap, and a match on a name still requires conf...