# Sanctions Enforcement
In financial regulation sanctions are penalties or enforcement levied against individuals or companies which forbid entities within a jurisdiction from engaging in contracts or new financial transactions with the sanctioned entity. Sanctions are a form of statecraft that allow nation states to exercise their controls over foreign nationals and individuals in the interests of advancing the foreign policy of the state.

Crypto assets are a means of evading sanctions enforcement by permitting [illicit financing](illicit-financing.md) through [regulatory arbitrage](regulatory-arbitrage.md).

See also [money laundering](money-laundering.md), [KYC](kyc.md), and [illicit financing](illicit-financing.md).

## References
1. Cumming, Douglas J., Sofia Johan, and Anshum Pant. 2019. ‘Regulation of the Crypto-Economy: Managing Risks, Challenges, and Regulatory Uncertainty’. Journal of Risk and Financial Management 12 (3): 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm12030126.
1. Ferrari, Valeria. 2020. ‘The Regulation of Crypto-Assets in the EU – Investment and Payment Tokens under the Radar’. Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law 27 (3): 325–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/1023263X20911538.
1. Finck, Michèle. 2018. Blockchain Regulation and Governance in Europe. Blockchain Regulation and Governance in Europe. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108609708.