U.S. Sanctions A7 Network After $17B in Transfers

The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned the Russia-linked A7 Network after investigators found its overseas companies processed more than $17 billion in transactions between January 2025 and June 2026.

The action also reaches A7’s crypto infrastructure, including the ruble-backed A7A5 token. FinCEN separately proposed cutting the network’s overseas sub-agents off from U.S. financial institutions, including transactions involving convertible virtual currency.

OFAC Designates A7 as Transnational Criminal Organization

The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated A7 Network as a significant transnational criminal organization on Oct. 1. Property belonging to A7 that is held in the United States or controlled by U.S. persons must now be blocked and reported.

Treasury says the network uses companies in third countries, false trade documentation and misleading descriptions of goods to make restricted payments appear to be ordinary commercial transactions. A7 said in January that it was handling more than 2,000 transactions per day and had processed 7.5 trillion rubles, then worth about $91.5 billion.

FinCEN Targets Hundreds Of A7 Sub-Agents Across 83 Countries

FinCEN identified hundreds of companies controlled by A7 across jurisdictions including Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates. Those sub-agents held accounts at about 435 financial institutions in at least 83 countries.

U.S. authorities allege the network was used by Russian clients as well as the Central Bank of Iran, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other sanctioned actors. Treasury said one group of A7-linked companies received nearly $140 million from entities involved in Iranian sanctions evasion.

FinCEN Links $179.1B in A7A5 Transactions to More Than 180 Entities

A7A5 is issued by Old Vector, which OFAC sanctioned in August 2025. Treasury says the ruble-backed token was created to support international transfers outside conventional financial channels and generate revenue for sanctioned infrastructure providers.

FinCEN found that more than 180 entities processed at least $179.1 billion in A7A5 transactions between February 2025 and June 2026, drawing in part on research from TRM Labs. That figure is separate from the more than $17 billion processed through A7’s fiat-facing overseas sub-agents.

FinCEN’s proposed rule is not yet final. Its public-comment period will run for 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, while OFAC’s sanctions against the A7 Network are already in force.