# US sanctions $17 billion Russia-linked crypto payment network using USDT

https://mins.news/en/item/83311

- CryptoSlate, 2026-10-02 11:00 UTC
- Economy
- Original: https://cryptoslate.com/us-targets-17-billion-russia-linked-crypto-payment-network-using-usdt-as-an-escape-route/

> The US Treasury designated the Russia-linked A7 Network as a significant transnational criminal organization and expanded blocking sanctions to the wider payment network. FinCEN proposed barring covered financial institutions from handling funds involving A7 sub-agents. The network allegedly uses its ruble-backed A7A5 token to access more liquid assets such as Tether’s USDT; its sub-agents processed over $17 billion in dollar-denominated transactions from January 2025 to June 2026.

## Stories

- [Russia Europe Sanctions and Retaliation](https://mins.news/en/topic/russia-europe-sanctions-and-retaliation) — Markdown: https://mins.news/en/topic/russia-europe-sanctions-and-retaliation.md

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- [US sanctions Kremlin-backed fintech A7 for allegedly assisting Iran](https://mins.news/en/item/82565) — Financial Times, 2026-10-01
- [U.S. designates Russia-linked sanctions-evasion payment network A7 a ‘significant transnational criminal organization’](https://mins.news/en/item/82531) — Meduza, 2026-10-01
