Nobitex Sanctions Hit Iran’s Largest Crypto Exchange as Compliance Risks Grow – Bitcoin News

4 Exchanges, 4 Nationals Hit as U.S. Expands Iran Crypto Sanctions Campaign

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, designated Nobitex, Wallex, Bitpin, and Ramzinex, along with four Iranian nationals. Foreign financial institutions and individuals may also face sanctions if they engage in certain transactions with the firms.

Treasury said Nobitex processed more than 50% of all Iranian digital asset inflows in 2025 and facilitated payments linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including wallets associated with IRGC-affiliated ransomware actors.

The agency also alleged Nobitex helped the Central Bank of Iran access hundreds of millions of dollars in stablecoins used to support the rial, while enabling regime insiders to reach international exchanges and evade sanctions.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran’s government had “co-opt” digital asset technology for sanctions evasion and wealth transfers, adding that Treasury would “continue to follow the money” through banks and digital assets.

OFAC designated Nobitex under Executive Order 13224 for material support to the IRGC and under Executive Order 13902 for operating in Iran’s financial sector.

Other Exchanges Named

Wallex, described by Treasury as Iran’s second-largest digital asset exchange by volume, received about 12% of Iranian digital asset inflows in 2025 and allegedly facilitated IRGC-linked transactions.

Bitpin received about 10% of Iranian digital asset inflows in 2025 and processed millions of dollars in transactions linked to the IRGC, according to the Treasury.

Ramzinex, a Tehran-based exchange founded in 2018, processed more than $2.45 billion in transactions, including activity tied to the IRGC and a government-backed financial institution.

Compliance Stakes Rise

The sanctions freeze property and interests in property within U.S. jurisdiction and generally bar U.S. persons from dealing with the designated parties. Entities owned 50% or more by blocked persons are also blocked.

For crypto firms, the action raises the importance of screening addresses, counterparties, and exchange exposure tied to Iran. The move also signals a higher risk for non-U.S. entities that facilitate significant transactions involving the named platforms.

The designation lands after a turbulent period for Nobitex. The exchange suffered a roughly $90 million exploit in June 2025, adding another major development to Iran’s crypto ecosystem.

Nobitex has been described as Iran’s largest digital asset platform and a central hub for the country’s crypto activity, serving as a retail gateway as well as a cross-border value-transfer venue outside traditional banking channels.

For traders and compliance teams, the message is direct: Iranian exchange exposure is now more visible, more searchable, and more likely to draw enforcement scrutiny.