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

The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned Russia-linked A7 Network after tracing over $17 billion in transactions through companies that helped Russia, Iran, and other actors move funds outside normal financial channels. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated A7 Network as a significant transnational criminal organization, blocking property held by U.S. persons. FinCEN, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, proposed a rule that would prohibit covered U.S. financial institutions from transmitting funds involving identified A7 Sub-Agents. The proposal covers both conventional funds and convertible virtual currency.

A7 Network, a shadow banking system built to hide sanctioned payments behind seemingly ordinary commercial transactions, has connections to Iran's Central Bank and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The network operated through jurisdictions including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Seychelles, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates. FinCEN found that A7-linked Sub-Agents processed more than $17 billion in dollar-denominated transactions between January 2025 and June 2026.

The Treasury linked some of the transactions to Iranian oil sales, procurement networks, ransomware operators, and other sanctioned parties. The U.S. authorities said A7-linked companies had served Iranian sanctions evasion and weapons procurement. A7A5, a ruble-backed token issued by Old Vector LLC, gave the network a crypto payment route. FinCEN identified more than 180 entities that processed at least $179.1 billion in A7A5 transactions between February 2025 and June 2026.