Six major companies based in Skopje make up the bulk of the legal entities from North Macedonia that have been placed under harsh economic sanctions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department, INA reports.
Most of these businesses have been penalized because of direct ties to powerful business networks in the country, such as that of Jordan Kamchev and his associates, while several others operate in the field of cyber espionage technology.
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SISTINA LIFE CARE CENTER SKOPJE DOOEL, located in Skopje, appears under the BALKANS-EO14033 program. The company is registered for health and social protection services, as well as care for the elderly and disabled persons in residential facilities. However, according to findings by North Macedonia’s judicial authorities and investigations by the US Department of the Treasury, its real function was financial intermediation, the transfer and laundering of money for sanctioned individuals linked to corruption in the Western Balkans. Sanctions against this company were imposed because of its connection to businessman Jordan Kamchev, who had previously been sanctioned by the United States. Date of sanctioning: November 16, 2023.
BET CITY INTERNATIONAL D.O.O. SKOPJE, also headquartered in Skopje, is part of the BALKANS-E014033 program. Its activity is sports betting. This company is linked to businessman Sergej Samsonenko, who holds dual citizenship of North Macedonia and Russia, as well as to Jordan Kamchev. Both had previously been included on the OFAC sanctions list. Date of sanctioning: November 16, 2023.
ORKA HOLDING AD, located in Skopje and under the BALKANS-EO14033 program, is a large business conglomerate that manages a broad portfolio of enterprises and invests in various economic sectors in North Macedonia and the Balkan region. The company was founded in 1990, initially in the textile industry, but later developed into a parent company offering consulting, legal and financial services. Orka Holding AD has been identified as a conglomerate linked to Macedonian businessman Jordan Kamchev, whom OFAC had previously sanctioned for corruption and money laundering in the Western Balkans. Date of sanctioning: November 16, 2023.
CYTROX AD, based in Skopje, is part of the CYBER2 program and operates as a technology company. Globally, it is known as the developer of the notorious commercial spyware software known as Predator. The company operates as part of a broader network called the Intellexa Consortium, founded by former Israeli military officer Tal Dilian. OFAC sanctions also extend to Cytrox Holdings ZRT in Hungary, as well as to other members of the Intellexa Consortium. Date of sanctioning: March 5, 2024.
KAMCHEV CONSULTING SKOPJE DOOEL, located in Skopje and under the BALKANS-EO14033 program, operates as a consulting company. According to OFAC statements, it was sanctioned because of ties to Jordan Kamchev’s network, which is accused of corrupt and destabilizing activities in the region. Date of sanctioning: November 16, 2023.
ORKA FINANCE SKOPJE DOOEL, based in Skopje and included in the BALKAN-EO14033 program, is registered as a consulting and business services company. OFAC describes it as an entity linked to corrupt networks in the Western Balkans. It is connected to Ratko Kunoski Kamchev and to the Orka group, which in turn is linked to Jordan Kamchev. Date of sanctioning: November 16, 2023.
In addition to these six companies, Washington has also blacklisted a large number of individuals from North Macedonia, bringing the total number of sanctioned entities and persons in the country to 12. This expansion is part of the strengthening of US measures across the Western Balkans, where by the beginning of June 2026 the overall number of sanctioned parties reaches 131, of whom 71 are legal entities and 60 are individuals. On June 22, 2026, the United States officially extended the “state of emergency measures” for the region for another year, reaffirming its determination to target corruption and networks that finance destabilization.
Targeted economic sanctions mean the full blocking of accounts and freezing of assets that these companies or individuals own in the United States, a ban on transactions with American citizens and companies, as well as strong travel restrictions. The aim of these measures is their complete isolation and cutting off access to financial resources.
North Macedonia, with 12 sanctioned parties, remains part of a broader sanctions map in the Western Balkans. Serbia leads with 49 cases, followed by Kosovo with 29, Bosnia and Herzegovina with 26, Albania with 8 and Montenegro with 7.
The application of sanctions through the Blacklist began in the 2001–2004 period, when the first measures were imposed because of war crimes and violations of peace after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.
A decade later, the focus shifted to institutional corruption, money laundering and organized crime.
From 2022 onward, the blacklist has increasingly included businessmen, politicians and companies with close ties to Russia, helping extend Moscow’s influence in the region at a time when it is isolated because of the invasion of Ukraine./INA/
