OFAC Sanctions Screening for DeFi AI Agents

By agentmail team · 2026-07-18

Answer: DeFi agents screen counterparties against the OFAC SDN list (19,218 names, 947 crypto wallets, 16 embargoed jurisdictions) via a single API call before every payment. A "clean": true response means proceed; "clean": false means halt. The check runs in under 100ms and the free tier covers 5 checks/day with no API key.

Why do DeFi agents need OFAC sanctions screening?

DeFi protocol agents that manage liquidity pools, vaults, and yield strategies route value through wallets they do not control. agentmail screens depositors, borrowers, and paired pools against OFAC so your agent does not pool liquidity with a sanctioned address.

Sanctioned actors actively use DeFi to move and launder funds; a protocol that serves them - even unknowingly via an autonomous agent - can face enforcement. Screening counterparties before deposit, withdrawal, or rebalancing is the baseline control.

How does sanctions screening work for DeFi agents?

One call per counterparty, real time, no key to start. Scale to production volume on a paid plan.

Example: screen a wallet before paying

curl "https://sanctionsai.dev/sanctions?wallet=0x098B716B8Aaf21512996dC57EB0615e2383E2f96"

Real OFAC data. Free tier: 5 checks/day, no API key.

What exactly does agentmail screen for defi agents?

• 947 OFAC-sanctioned crypto wallets across Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, and Tron — refreshed daily from US Treasury and vile/ofac-sdn-list
• 19,218 Specially Designated Nationals with fuzzy name matching for aliases, transliterations, and alternative spellings
• 16 embargoed jurisdictions including comprehensive sanctions on Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria
• Sub-100ms response so the check fits inline in any payment path without degrading the agent experience
• Automatic audit trail with timestamp, subject, result, and SDN list version for every screen

Related resources

• OFAC screening for AI agents \u2014 general agent compliance guide
• What is the OFAC SDN list?
• What is strict liability?
• OFAC violation costs for defi agents
• How to set up OFAC screening
• How to screen a wallet before your agent pays
• agentmail vs Chainalysis \u2014 pricing and feature comparison