What changed
The UN Security Council removed two entries (QDi.346 and QDi.402) from its 1267/1989 ISIL (Da'esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions List effective March 3, 2022. Regulated entities must no longer treat these individuals as designated terrorists for freezing purposes.
What it means for you
Banks and lenders must immediately update their AML/KYC screening systems to reflect the removal. Any accounts or assets frozen solely due to these entries should be unfrozen, but careful verification is needed to ensure no other sanctions apply. This is a routine but critical compliance update.
What you must do
- Update your sanctions screening database to remove the two delisted individuals.
- Unfreeze any accounts or assets that were blocked only because of these entries.
- Forward any delisting requests from affected parties to MHA's Joint Secretary (CTCR) as per existing instructions.
- Document the compliance action taken for audit and regulatory review.
Who it affects
All scheduled commercial banks, All non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), All payment system operators, All other regulated entities under RBI
What are the names of the two removed individuals?
The removed entries are QDi.346: 'Abd al-Malik Muhammad Yusuf 'Uthman 'Abd-al-Salam (also known as 'Umar al-Qatari) and QDi.402: Nayif Salih Salim al-Qaysi (also known as Nayif al-Ghaysi).
Do we need to inform customers about the unfreezing?
RBI does not explicitly require customer notification, but best practice is to inform affected account holders promptly and document the action for compliance records.
Where can we find the updated UN sanctions list?
The updated list is available at www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list and for Taliban at www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1988/materials.