The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has officially removed Tornado Cash
A cryptocurrency mixer that was blacklisted for its alleged role in facilitating illegal financial activities on its specially designated nationals (SDN) list. This decision, filed with the Treasury on Monday as part of the case Van Loon v. Treasury, follows a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals in January for the Fifth Circuit, which reversed the previously imposed sanctions on Tornado Cash.
However, one of the founders of Tornado Cash, Roman Semenov, remains on the SDN list. His listing has been removed from the tag enabling network activity but retains the North Korea sanctions tag.
In a press release, the Treasury reiterated its concern over state-sponsored cybercrime, particularly from North Korea.
A Treasury spokesperson stated, “We remain very concerned about significant state-sponsored hacking and money laundering campaigns aimed at stealing, acquiring, and deploying digital assets for the DPRK and KIM regime.”
Today marks a significant victory for privacy, open-source technology, and invaluable permissionless smart contracts.
The U.S. Treasury has lifted sanctions https://t.co/mfFVsu3OSY and torn tokens: https://t.co/0cNOq5f1HT
Heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you… – Roman Storm
