Banking Transparency for Sanctioned Persons Act of 2018

To increase transparency with respect to financial services benefitting state sponsors of terrorism, human rights abusers, and corrupt officials, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Banking Transparency for Sanctioned Persons Act of 2018 2. Report on financial services benefitting state sponsors of terrorism, human rights abusers, and corrupt officials (a) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of the Treasury shall issue a report to the Committees on Financial Services and Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and Foreign Relations of the Senate that includes— (1) a copy of any license issued by the Secretary in the preceding 180 days that authorizes a financial institution to provide financial services benefitting a state sponsor of terrorism; and (2) a list of any foreign financial institutions that, in the preceding 180 days, knowingly conducted a significant transaction or transactions, directly or indirectly, for a sanctioned person included on the Department of the Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List who— (A) is owned or controlled by, or acts on behalf of, the government of a state sponsor of terrorism; or (B) is designated pursuant to any of the following: (i) Section 404 of the Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 ( Public Law 112–208 (ii) Subtitle F of title XII of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 ( Public Law 114–328 (iii) Executive Order 13818. (b) Form of report The report required under subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified annex. 3. Waiver The Secretary of the Treasury may waive the requirements of section 2 with respect to a foreign financial institution described in paragraph (2) of such section— (1) upon receiving credible assurances that the foreign financial institution has ceased, or will imminently cease, to knowingly conduct any significant transaction or transactions, directly or indirectly, for a person described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of such paragraph (2); or (2) upon certifying to the Committees on Financial Services and Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and Foreign Relations of the Senate that the waiver is important to the national interest of the United States, with an explanation of the reasons therefor. 4. Definitions For purposes of this Act: (1) Financial institution The term financial institution (2) Foreign financial institution The term foreign financial institution (3) Knowingly The term knowingly (4) United States financial institution The term United States financial institution U.S. financial institution 5. Sunset The reporting requirement under this Act shall terminate on the date that is the end of the 7-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act. September 26, 2018 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

Summary: Banking Transparency for Sanctioned Persons Act of 2018 (Sec. 2) This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to report semiannually on financial services provided to benefit a state sponsor of terrorism or specified sanctioned persons. (Sec. 3) Treasury may waive these reporting requirements with respect to a foreign financial institution if: the institution credibly assures Treasury that it will cease conducting transactions for such persons, or the waiver is important to the national interest.