American strikes for the Houthi financial networks … and banks leave from Sanaa

Several Yemeni banks transferred their headquarters and businesses from the capital, Sana’a, which is controlled by the Houthi group to Aden, which is taken by the internationally recognized legitimate government, to escape the US sanctions and prosecutions of the Houthi financial networks in light of the escalation of US President Donald Trump against the group in all ways, including air strikes to a number of cities that it controls as well as economic and financial restrictions on them.

The Central Bank of Yemen in Aden announced the names of eight banks, which decided to transfer its centers and work from Sana’a to Aden. A statement issued by the bank said on Monday that these banks informed the Central Bank of Yemen in writing of the transfer of their centers and work from Sanaa to the temporary capital of Aden in order to avoid their occurrence under the strict sanctions imposed by the United States of America after it announced the start of the implementation of the Houthi group classification in the list of terrorist organizations.

According to the statement, the banks are: Solidarity, Al -Karimi for Microfinance Islamic Finance, Yemen’s Comprehensive Bank, Yemeni Islamic Finance and Investment, Saba Al -Islami, Yemen and the Gulf, Yemeni commercial, Yemen for microfinance.

The Houthi classification is a terrorist organization

The Yemeni Central Bank revealed, on Saturday, that it received a written communication from the majority of the banks whose centers are located in the capital, Sanaa, that they decided to transfer their positions and business to the temporary capital, Aden, in order to avoid their occurrence under the strict sanctions imposed by the United States of America after it announced the start of implementing the classification decision. The bank affirmed its readiness and readiness to provide all forms of support and possible protection for all banks and financial and economic institutions to ensure their continuation in providing their services to Yemeni citizens at home, the diaphragm and in all governorates, and it will make sure to implement the full transfer decision and issue certificates.

The decision of the American administration to classify the Houthi group in Yemen was an international terrorist organization that had entered into force at the beginning of this month. The Rewards for JUSTICE program also announced the US State Department of Justice to monitor a reward for those who provide information on the Houthi financiers, their partners or financial networks, indicating that the reward aims to disrupt the financial sources of the Houthi group that made continuous attempts to attack American workers in the Middle East, and regional regional partners such as Israel, and threatened to stabilize trade Naval, with support and financing from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Sanctions on senior leaders

The US Treasury announced the imposition of new sanctions on those linked to the Yemeni Ansar Allah group (Houthis), which included senior leaders in the group. The ministry said on its official website that the sanctions have assigned seven leaders accused of importing weapons illegally, in addition to another member accused of sending Yemeni civilians to fight in Ukraine alongside the Russian forces.
Among the Houthi leaders included on the list of sanctions are the head of the Supreme Political Council of the group, Mahdi Al -Mashat, a member of the Supreme Political Council, Muhammad Ali Al -Houthi, the group’s spokesperson, Mohamed Abdel Salam, and a member of its delegation, negotiating Abdul -Malik Al -Ajri, on charges of being involved in arms smuggling and purchasing them from Russia to support the military operations of the Houthis in Yemen.
Two days after his return to power, specifically on January 22, US President Donald Trump issued a decision to include the “Houthi” Ansar Allah group on the list of “foreign terrorist organizations” as part of the US administration’s tendency to curb the influence of the Houthi group and weaken their military ability that the United States said is a threat to it in the region.
According to a document issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury, the import of oil derivatives will be banned through the port of Hodeidah, west of Yemen, which is subject to the Houthis as of April 2, 2025.
The decision includes preventing commercial resale or exporting oil derivatives from Yemen, as well as prohibiting financial transfers in favor of the entities listed in the penal lists, with the exception of payments related to taxes, fees and public services.

The US Treasury also issued a new public license that allows some transactions related to communications, Internet and mail services in Yemen. According to the new license, which holds No. 23A, transactions related to communications will be allowed inside Yemen, including immediate correspondence, e -mail, social media, and registration of domain names, provided that the beneficiaries of these services are not among the lists of individuals or entities whose assets are frozen under US sanctions.
The license also allows mail transactions and parcels between the United States and Yemen or inside Yemen, provided that individuals or entities subject to sanctions are not involved in these operations.

Reducing the group’s financial flows

American decisions will have an impact on the financial and economic financial system of the Houthis, which would limit the financial flows of the group, as well as reduce the various means of financing, which puts the ball in the internationally recognized government stadium that should exploit US decisions and sanctions to improve the economy in its areas of control through financial measures that enable it to monopolize financial flows and management.
Economic analyst Dhaif Allah Sultan told Al -Arabi Al -Jadeed that the decision of the American administration to classify the Houthi group is a terrorist organization and impose financial sanctions on a number of the group’s leaders that will have an impact on the financial networks parallel to the group, by subjecting any financial transactions related to the group to control by international banks.

He added: “This will contribute to reducing the group’s financial funds from external sources, meaning that the US sanctions will beolated the Houthis from the international banking system, and will contribute to the freezing of the balances of leaders and entities related to the group abroad, and will prevent financial transfers to them, and will limit foreign exchange sources among the Houthis as a result of the restrictions imposed on banking transactions and financial transfers, which means a decrease in foreign liquidity in areas Group control. ”

The economic analyst added that “the American decisions will have a role in reducing the illegal means that the Houthis exercise for financial financing, such as illegal trade, the black market, smuggling, especially fuel smuggling, money laundering, management of financial networks and illegal banks, taxes and illegal financial merits, and the exploitation of humanitarian aid provided by international organizations.”

The economic analyst stressed that this new reality will require the leadership of the internationally recognized government to create conditions to receive the main headquarters of banks that will have to transfer their main headquarters from Sana’a to Aden, as well as take appropriate measures to manage financial flows, manage the financial system, receive foreign transfers, especially related to international organizations, impose control mechanisms on financial institutions, enhance cooperation with international banks and unify efforts with them to receive transfers Foreign Affairs through the mechanisms and means determined by the legitimate government.

Create circumstances and a procedure package

In turn, economic researcher Ammar Al -Sarari believes in his interview with Al -Arabi Al -Jadeed that US decisions and sanctions against the Houthi group will not be feasible to influence the group’s financial system unless the international recognized government takes a package of financial procedures and policies that benefit from the financial restrictions imposed on the Houthi government, and provides itself an economic alternative, both for external financial flows and transfers.

He added: “This requires the legitimate government to start procedures for receiving the main headquarters of commercial banks and international organizations in Aden, and to create security conditions to receive commercial companies that will seek to transfer their headquarters from Sana’a for fear of financial sanctions imposed on the Houthis.”
The economic researcher added that the government is facing great challenges to benefit from American decisions, as it must prepare ports and ports in its areas of control to receive goods and imports so that they are alternative to ports and ports under the control of the Houthis.
The legitimate government must also strengthen the role of the central bank in Aden in managing monetary policies, conducting real reforms in the banking sector, improving the security aspect and providing facilities for merchants and investors in order to transfer their investments to legitimacy areas, improve the mechanisms of collecting public revenues of the state, and reform the tax system, according to Al -Sahari.