By Samuel Rubenfeld
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
What happened: The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned three individuals and a company on Monday for connecting the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) with a network of international donors and enabling the group to access the financial system in the Middle East.
Why it’s important: ISIS continues to exploit formal financial systems despite losing its territory in Iraq and Syria, the Treasury said. The group has generated revenue through extortion of local businesses, kidnapping and looting, transferring funds internationally through money services businesses (MSBs) such as hawalas, couriers and financial facilitation networks in third countries, according to the Treasury.