OFAC Risk Assessment Framework

A risk assessment framework is a structured way to evaluate sanctions exposure across customers, geographies, products, and channels.

TL;DR

TL;DR: An OFAC risk assessment framework is a structured methodology for evaluating an organization's sanctions risk across customers, geographies, products, and channels.

What the framework evaluates

The framework scores where sanctions risk concentrates. Geography matters because some jurisdictions carry heavier OFAC exposure; customers matter because some counterparties are higher risk; products and channels matter because some rails, like crypto, move value faster and are harder to reverse. SanctionsAI screens across 16 jurisdictions to support that geography view.

Why it matters for agent payments

An AI agent that pays across borders and chains inherits all four risk dimensions at once. Mapping them first tells you where to focus screening, instead of treating every counterparty as equal. The 50 Percent Rule and strict liability, with penalties starting at $356,000 per violation, make the mapping worth the effort before the first payment.

Turning assessment into action

Use the framework to set screening thresholds. High risk counterparties get a full check against 19,218 SDN names and 947 OFAC-listed crypto wallets in one call under 100 ms, returning ALLOW or BLOCK before any payment moves. Lower risk flows can reuse the same screen, since the cost per check is tiny. Reassess on a schedule, because new designations and new payment rails shift the risk picture faster than a one time mapping captures. A framework is a living document, not a one off deliverable.