The US Treasury has sanctioned A7 Network, a clandestine banking network linked to Russia, designating it as a significant transnational criminal organization, a status previously reserved for major cartels and criminal enterprises. Over $17 billion flowed through its intermediaries between January 2025 and June 2026 via shell companies and falsified commercial documents. FinCEN has proposed banning US banks from processing any transfers involving these sub-agents, effectively cutting them off from the dollar system. The ruble-pegged stablecoin A7A5, issued in Kyrgyzstan by Old Vector and linked to Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor, is also subject to the sanctions. Washington has connected the network’s flows to Iran’s central bank, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, oil sales and arms purchases.
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