Ruble-pegged stablecoin A7A5 under scrutiny: overview of the new EU sanctions package
EU authorities have expanded restrictive measures against the ruble-pegged stablecoin A7A5 and related infrastructure due to its use to circumvent anti-Russian sanctions
24.10.2025
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On October 23, the European Union introduced another package of sanctions, which is aimed, among other things, at Russia’s financial infrastructure. The ruble-pegged stablecoin A7A5 was hit. GetBlock AML Research publishes a detailed overview of the new restrictive measures.
New restrictions
- Due to the active use of A7A5 to circumvent anti-Russian sanctions, the European Union has imposed sanctions against the stablecoin issuer, the Kyrgyz company Old Vector, and the A7 trading platform (where the largest volumes of A7A5 trading are observed). The A7 platform is owned by Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor and Russia’s PSB (formerly Promsvyazbank).
- Transactions with the A7A5 stablecoin are prohibited in the European Union.
- The EU has also imposed a ban on transactions for eight banks and oil traders from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, the UAE, and Hong Kong that used A7A5 to circumvent restrictive measures. Russian banks have also been subject to similar restrictions: Istina, Zemsky Bank, Commercial bank Absolut Bank, MTS Bank, and Alfa-Bank;
- The EU authorities have banned interaction with the Russian National Payment Card System (Mir) and the Faster Payments System (SBP).
A7A5 is trending
In August 2025, sanctions were imposed in the United States against the A7A5 stablecoin and the A7 trading platform. The stablecoin was used by the Russian sanctioned crypto exchange Garantex (now Grinex) to circumvent blocks and withdraw blocked assets in March 2025.
What else is important to know
How Garantex splits business and what does AEXbit have to do with it
Russian-sanctioned crypto exchange Garantex (Grinex) has split its financial flows using third-party platforms
The US has imposed sanctions against Grinex, Exved, InDeFi Bank, and others. What is known?
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed restrictions against the successors of the Garantex exchange
The big laundry: how crypto and Kyrgyzstan help Russia circumvent sanctions
Some Kyrgyz companies are completely copying the transaction structure used by the Russian sub-sanctioned exchange Garantex
Grinex may become the first regulated crypto exchange in Russia. What’s going on
Russian authorities and representatives of the under-sanctioned exchange are discussing different options for cooperation based on the geopolitical situation
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