US Treasury sanctions Turkish Golden Global bank and affiliates over Iran ties

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has placed Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi and two affiliated Turkish companies on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) for their ties to Iran’s financial sector. The action, issued on September 4, 2026, blocks all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction and generally prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with the designated entities. It was published in the Federal Register of September 15, 2026 (Vol. 91, No. 177, Notices section, FR Doc. 2026-18909).

Designated entities

OFAC designated the Istanbul-based bank and its two affiliates under Executive Order 13902 of January 10, 2020, “Imposing Sanctions With Respect to Additional Sectors of Iran” (85 FR 2003). The three entities are:

• Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi (a.k.a. Golden Global Investment Bank), SWIFT/BIC GOGYTRIS, established October 15, 2019, Tax ID 3961233191 (Turkey), Legal Entity Number 789000LV7F75LALJ3F52, Registration Number 213202.
• Golden Global Portfoy Yonetimi Anonim Sirketi (portfolio management), established January 15, 2025, Tax ID 3961688364, Legal Entity Number 789000J1YGZ3PLCXMQ38, Registration Number 1063899.
• Golden Global Varlik Kiralama Anonim Sirketi (leasing), established August 1, 2022, Tax ID 3961486674, Legal Entity Number 789000S50A0J8E8FKE55, Registration Number 396200.

Legal basis

The bank was designated pursuant to sections 1(a)(i) and 1(a)(ii) of E.O. 13902 for operating in the financial sector of the Iranian economy and for having knowingly engaged, on or after January 10, 2020, in a significant transaction for the sale, supply, or transfer to or from Iran of significant goods or services used in connection with that sector. The two affiliated companies were designated pursuant to section 1(a)(iv) of the order for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked under E.O. 13902.

Wind-down and impact

The designation follows a related OFAC action: on September 4, 2026, the agency issued General License CC, published in the Federal Register of September 11, 2026 (FR Doc. 2026-18576), authorizing transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the wind down of dealings with the three blocked persons through 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 19, 2026, provided any payment to a blocked person is made into a blocked, interest-bearing account located in the United States. The license also covers any entity in which one or more of the designated persons own, directly or indirectly, a 50 percent or greater interest.

For U.S. financial institutions, exporters, and companies with Turkish or Iranian counterparties, the designation means that any transaction involving the three Golden Global entities — or entities they control — is now prohibited absent a specific authorization from OFAC. The action underscores Washington’s continued enforcement of sectoral sanctions against Iran’s financial infrastructure and its willingness to target foreign intermediaries that facilitate access to the Iranian economy.

Source: Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 177, September 15, 2026, Notices, p. 58558 (official reference: FR Doc. 2026-18909).