OFAC FAQ #399 · Entities Owned by Blocked Persons (50% Rule)

Does OFAC aggregate ownership stakes of all blocked persons when determining whether an entity is blocked pursuant to OFAC’s 50 Percent Rule?

OFAC's answer

Yes. On August 13, 2014, OFAC indicated in its revised [50 Percent Rule](https://ofac.treasury.gov/media/6186/download?inline) guidance that OFAC's 50 Percent Rule applies to entities owned 50 percent or more in the aggregate by one or more blocked persons. Accordingly, if Blocked Person X owns 25 percent of Entity A, and Blocked Person Y owns another 25 percent of Entity A, Entity A is considered to be blocked. This is so because Entity A is owned 50 percent or more in the aggregate by one or more blocked persons. For the purpose of calculating aggregate ownership, the ownership interests of persons blocked under different OFAC sanctions programs are aggregated.

Read this FAQ on the OFAC site ↗