Department of the Treasury September 29, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is adopting a final rule amending the Western Balkans Stabilization Regulations and reissuing them in their entirety to further implement a June 26, 2001 Executive order and a May 28, 2003 Executive order related to the Western Balkans, and to implement a June 8, 2021 Western Balkans-related Executive order. This final rule replaces the regulations that were amended and reissued on June 29, 2011, and includes additional interpretive guidance and definitions, general licenses, and other regulatory provisions that will provide further guidance to the public. Due to the number of regulatory sections being updated or added, OFAC is reissuing the Western Balkans Stabilization Regulations in their entirety.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is amending the Central African Republic Sanctions Regulations and reissuing them in their entirety as a more comprehensive set of regulations that includes additional interpretive guidance and definitions, general licenses, and other regulatory provisions that will provide further guidance to the public. This final rule replaces the regulations that were published in abbreviated form on July 7, 2014.

Over the past several years, the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) in the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) has continued its ongoing efforts with regard to both cyber insurance and insurer cybersecurity. Cyber insurance is a significant risk-transfer mechanism, and the insurance industry has an important role to play in strengthening cyber hygiene and building resiliency. FIO has also increased its data collection in this area with regard to the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (TRIP) and has supported the development of Treasury's counter-ransomware strategy. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in June 2022 recommending that FIO and the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) conduct a joint assessment to determine ``the extent to which risks to critical infrastructure from catastrophic cyber incidents and potential financial exposures warrant a federal insurance response.'' Both FIO and CISA have agreed to conduct the recommended assessment. FIO is also coordinating with the White House Office of the National Cyber Director on these issues. In order to inform FIO's future work and the joint assessment, FIO is seeking comments from the public on questions related to cyber insurance and catastrophic cyber incidents.