UK OFSI lifts remittance restrictions for designated financial institutions
The UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has issued General Licence INT/2024/4761108, which permits non-designated third parties to route personal remittances through designated credit and financial institutions. This licence clarifies that humanitarian funds and personal transfers can flow via sanctioned-entity intermediaries when the ultimate beneficiary and originator are undesignated. The guidance affects shippers and freight forwarders who rely on international payment rails to settle invoices and receive funds across sanctioned jurisdictions.
Photo: Tibor Szabo / PexelsThe UK OFSI issued General Licence INT/2024/4761108 on 26 May 2026, establishing a carve-out for personal remittances involving designated financial institutions.
Who is affected
The licence permits non-designated third parties—including individual shippers, freight forwarders, and SMB exporters—to send and receive funds through UK credit or financial institutions that are themselves designated under UK sanctions regimes, provided neither the originator nor the ultimate beneficiary is designated.
This is particularly relevant for:
- E-commerce merchants settling accounts with suppliers in or via sanctioned jurisdictions
- Freight forwarders processing remittances for cross-border shipments
- SMB exporters accessing payment channels when direct transfers are blocked
Scope: Personal remittances
The licence specifically covers personal remittances—funds transfers for humanitarian purposes, family support, or legitimate commercial settlement that do not benefit designated persons or entities. OFSI's wording restricts flow to "non-designated third parties"; the originating shipper and receiving party must both clear sanctions screening.
Practical implications
Under this general licence, you may:
- Route invoice payments and settlement funds through designated UK banks without requiring a specific licence from OFSI
- Continue freight forwarding operations when the underlying remittance involves a designated intermediary, so long as you and your counterparty are undesignated
- Avoid delays awaiting individual licence applications for routine commercial remittances
The licence does not permit transfers to or from designated persons, entities, or countries outside the remittance exception. Verify all parties (shipper, consignee, buyer, seller) against the consolidated UK sanctions list before relying on this authority.
What this means for shippers
If you're blocked from paying suppliers or receiving funds due to sanctions-related intermediaries, check the OFSI general licence register to confirm INT/2024/4761108 applies to your transaction. Verify both your identity and your counterparty's against the UK consolidated sanctions list. This licence removes the need for individual licence applications for personal remittances, but sanctions-screening is non-negotiable: any undetected designated beneficiary nullifies the protection. Document your due diligence. /sanctions-screen
