OFAC screening for crypto wallets
Crypto wallet screening checks blockchain addresses against the SDN List, including 947 OFAC-designated wallets across Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Tron.
TL;DR
TL;DR: It is a lookup that compares a wallet address against OFAC's SDN List before a payment. SanctionsAI indexes 947 designated wallets and 19,218 SDN names, synced hourly.
Why addresses get listed
OFAC can designate wallet addresses as blocked property on the SDN List. Once listed, US persons and companies generally cannot transact with that address. Because wallets are pseudonymous, the check must run against the address itself rather than a name, which is why address-level screening matters for crypto payments.
How the check works
SanctionsAI screens a counterparty before the agent pays: a clean result returns ALLOW and a flagged result returns BLOCK. The sanctions_check tool performs the lookup in a single HTTP call that completes in under 100 ms, so it runs inside the payment path without meaningful delay. The same live data feed also covers 16 jurisdictions and refreshes hourly.
Which rails need it
- x402, AP2, ACP, and Coinbase AgentKit move money but do not screen counterparties.
- Base/USDC and other stablecoin transfers are funds transfers subject to OFAC and should be screened before broadcast.