According to reports, the U.S. Department of the Treasury is investigating the relationship between JPMorgan (JPM.US) and a hedge fund suspected to be part of a network controlled by Iranian oil trader Hossein Shamkhani.
According to reports, the U.S. Department of the Treasury is investigating the relationship between JPMorgan (JPM.US) and a hedge fund suspected to be part of a network controlled by Iranian oil trader Hossein Shamkhani.
Sources said the investigation is still in the early stages, mainly looking into whether JPMorgan complied with all regulations when accepting Ocean Leonid Investments Ltd. as a client. The fund was recently halted by the Dubai Financial Free Zone.
According to reports, the hedge fund Ocean Leonid has offices in Dubai, London, and Geneva, supervised by Shamkhani.
JPMorgan does not need to abandon this client because neither Ocean Leonid nor Shamkhani are on the sanctions list. Sources said the U.S. Department of the Treasury is mainly focusing on Shamkhani's activities, but the possibility of banking compliance issues is also a consideration.
Previously, Ocean Leonid denied allegations of any association with Shamkhani.
Sources also mentioned that the Federal Reserve is investigating Shamkhani's network's financial exposure in the West.
Ahead of pre-market trading on Friday, JPMorgan's stock price remained stable.