The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned the A7 network, a Russia-linked shadow financial network, designating it as a significant transnational criminal organization for allegedly supporting Iran's evasion of sanctions, among other activities. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) also proposed regulations prohibiting money transfers for transactions involving A7-affiliated entities. According to the Treasury Department, A7-affiliated entities processed over $17 billion globally from January last year to June 2026 and were used as a channel for funds belonging to entities such as the Central Bank of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). A7 has been utilizing A7A5, a ruble-based token issued by Old Vector, a Kyrgyzstan-based company belonging to the A7 network that was sanctioned last year, for sanctions evasion and international transactions. The Treasury Department stated that A7 is linked to Novitex, Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange sanctioned last June, and also supported transactions related to North Korean cryptocurrency exchange hacks.
