Japan added Garantex Europe OU, also known as Garantex, to an asset-freeze sanctions list targeting Russian entities on October 2, extending restrictions to a crypto exchange already listed by the United States. The designation was included in a wider Japanese package against 33 Russian entities and nine individuals related to Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said.
Japan’s October 2 sanctions package names Garantex
Japan’s Foreign Ministry identified the entity as Garantex Europe OU and listed Garantex as an alias in its sanctions appendix. The exchange was among entities subject to measures announced alongside export restrictions and other Russia-related actions.
Japan joined the jurisdictions applying sanctions pressure to Garantex in the October 2 action, though its announcement did not describe an immediate change to the exchange’s operations or any market impact.
The package is part of Tokyo’s broader measures concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Foreign Ministry said the actions covered 33 Russian entities and nine individuals.
Asset freeze restricts payments and capital transactions
Under Japan’s listed-entity measures, payments and capital transactions involving Garantex Europe OU are restricted. Japan’s official sanctions-list appendix names Garantex Europe OU and identifies Garantex as its alias. The ministry’s materials do not specify operational effects for the platform, its customers or particular crypto assets.
Garantex was already listed by U.S. Treasury
Garantex Europe OU was already subject to U.S. sanctions treatment: the U.S. Treasury’s OFAC entry lists it under the CYBER4 and Russia-related programs, identifies Garantex as an alias and records multiple associated cryptocurrency addresses.
Japan’s asset-freeze listing added a national restriction. The Japanese notice included the exchange in a broader October 2 package targeting Russian entities and involving other measures, rather than announcing a standalone crypto-specific measure.
