Effective 09:00 GMT on 28 January 2026, the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK will close. From that point onwards, the UK Sanctions List will be the only source for all UK sanctions designations.
The move to a single list is intended to streamline sanctions screening by allowing screening against a broad range of restrictive measures through a single dataset, encompassing not only asset-freezing sanctions but also immigration, trade and transport restrictions.
There are no changes to the structure of the UK Sanctions List. However, enhancements to its search tool are expected by mid-to-late January 2026, including: (a) fuzzy search; (b) ranked results; (c) highlighted matches; and (d) improved downloads.
Cayman Islands and BVI entities should consider whether any of their existing documentation, policies, screening systems, etc. rely on the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK, and which may need amending as a result.
The UK Government has published additional guidance, as well as an explanatory webinar, to assist industry with the change to a single UK Sanctions List.
Maples Group has significant experience in advising on Cayman Islands, BVI and EU sanctions regimes, including, but not limited to, sanctions risk assessments, upstream and downstream asset freezing measures, reporting obligations and specific licence applications. Please reach out if we can be of any assistance.
