Apple EU unit fined £390K
The UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation fined Apple’s European sales subsidiary £390,000, highlighting ongoing regulatory scrutiny of big tech compliance in Europe. The fine adds to a stream of regional enforcement actions targeting global tech firms. (x.com/FT/status/2038560746137677879)
OFSI says it imposed the monetary penalty on 19 March 2026 under section 146 of the Policing and Crime Act 2017 against Apple Distribution International Limited, an entity incorporated in the Republic of Ireland and a subsidiary of Apple Inc. (gov.uk) The regulator’s record shows two payments totalling £635,618 were made to Russian streaming platform Okko LLC in June and July 2022, and those transfers were routed through UK banks. (bloomberg.com) Apple Distribution International— the ADI unit that issues App Store developer payouts— volunteered the transfers to OFSI in October 2022 as part of its reporting, according to reporting that cites the enforcement notice. (macrumors.com; bloomberg.com) The OFSI notice states the conduct amounted to making funds available to a designated person without a licence, a specific breach under the UK financial sanctions regime cited in the government summary. (uk.finance.yahoo.com; gov.uk) The case comes after OFSI updated its enforcement framework and guidance in early 2026—changes that included adjustments to penalty assessment and follow the UK’s move to centralise its sanctions list earlier in January 2026. (ofsi.blog.gov.uk; sanctionssearchapp.ofsi.hmtreasury.gov.uk)
