Yanditswe na: NIYONSENGA Schadrack
02/10/2026 18:08
Russia-linked payment network A7 has rejected allegations that it worked with Iran or terrorist organizations after the United States imposed new sanctions on the network, accusing it of helping Iran evade sanctions and move illicit funds.
Washington expanded restrictions against A7 on October 1, accusing the company of helping sanctioned entities like Iranian government and Hamas conceal transactions thus violating the sanctions regime
A7 is a Russia-linked international payment network established in 2024 by Russia-based Promsvyazbank (PSB). It was developed as an alternative channel for cross-border payments, particularly for Russian businesses facing restrictions from Western financial systems. The network uses non-Western currencies, cryptocurrencies and companies in third countries to facilitate international settlements and trade.
The latest
measures were announced by the U.S.
Department of the Treasury on October 1, 2026, under the Trump
administration's “Operation Economic
Outcast.” The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
designated the A7 Network as a “significant
transnational criminal organization,” while the Financial Crimes
Enforcement Network (FinCEN) proposed restrictions on certain fund transfers
involving A7's network of sub-agents and issued an alert to financial
institutions.
The U.S. Treasury
said the action was taken because it considers A7 a sanctions-evasion and
money-laundering network that has been used by Iran, including the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), to move funds through the international
financial system.
The October 2026
action expands earlier U.S. measures against A7-related entities, including A7 LLC and Old Vector LLC, which were
designated on August 14, 2025. U.S. authorities allege that A7's network
used companies in third countries, falsified trade documents and misleading
descriptions of goods to make sanctioned transactions appear to be legitimate
commercial activity. Treasury says A7-linked sub-agents processed more than $17 billion between January 2025 and June
2026, and alleges that some transactions were connected to Iranian oil
sales, weapons procurement and other sanctions-evasion activities.
A7, however, categorically denies the allegations,
saying it has never conducted transactions for Iran or terrorist organizations
and calling the accusations false and defamatory. The company says it operates
a multi-level compliance system under which clients are screened for potential
risks and maintains that its network supports legitimate international
settlements and lawful import-export operations. A7 also says the latest
sanctions have not disrupted its operations.
According to A7,
the company was created to ensure uninterrupted international settlements for
the Russian market and to help businesses operate despite geopolitical
restrictions. It says it also serves third countries that are not subject to
sanctions, facilitating legal trade involving consumer goods and raw materials.
The U.S.
government's allegations and A7's response represent two competing accounts of the network's activities. Washington
describes A7 as part of a sanctions-evasion and illicit-finance infrastructure,
while A7 describes itself as an alternative international payment network
supporting legitimate trade.
The sanctions
mean that property and interests in property of the A7 Network under U.S.
jurisdiction, or controlled by U.S. persons, are blocked, while U.S. persons
are generally prohibited from conducting transactions involving blocked A7
property unless authorized or exempted by OFAC.
