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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"9aea9092-a4ac-4155-ba37-fb1b675fb7e8","kind":"publish","page_slug":"a7a5-stablecoin","published_at":"2026-10-04T12:09:18.118Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"A7A5 Stablecoin","sections":[{"content":"A7A5 is issued by Old Vector LLC, a company registered in Kyrgyzstan. Old Vector LLC is a subsidiary within the broader A7 Network, which was founded in September 2024. According to OFAC's August 14, 2025 designation and Elliptic's research, A7 LLC — the parent of Old Vector — is 51% owned by Ilan Shor, a Moldovan fugitive convicted on April 13, 2023 by the Court of Appeal of Chisinau for fraud and money laundering in connection with the theft of approximately $1 billion from three Moldovan banks in 2014, sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. The remaining 49% stake is held by Promsvyazbank (PSB), a Russian state-owned bank that specializes in financing Russia's defense sector and which has itself been sanctioned by the US, EU, and UK. Old Vector LLC was designated by OFAC on August 14, 2025 as a Specially Designated National (SDN) for its role in issuing the A7A5 token. The A7 corporate structure also includes A71 LLC and A7 Agent LLC, all of which were included in the August 2025 OFAC designation.","heading":"Issuer and Ownership Structure","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Targets Use of Stablecoins for Russian Sanctions Evasion (Elliptic)","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/ofac-targets-use-of-stablecoins-for-russian-sanctions-evasion"},{"credibility":2,"name":"A7A5: ruble-backed stablecoin, issuer and sanctions status (Crypto Valley Journal)","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptovalleyjournal.com/glossary/a7a5/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Rise of A7A5: The Ruble Stablecoin Now Transfers $1 Billion Per Day (Elliptic)","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/insights/the-rise-of-a7a5-the-ruble-stablecoin-now-transfers-1-billion-per-day/"}]},{"content":"A7A5 and the entities behind it carry active sanctions designations across multiple major jurisdictions. On August 14, 2025, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated A7 LLC, A71 LLC, A7 Agent LLC, and Old Vector LLC, placing them on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. OFAC simultaneously designated Grinex, the Kyrgyzstan-based successor exchange to Garantex, which had been a primary trading venue for A7A5. Under these designations, A7A5 tokens are treated as blocked property due to Old Vector LLC's ownership interest, and US persons are prohibited from transacting in them. The EU adopted its 19th Russia sanctions package on October 23, 2025, which included a specific, named prohibition on EU persons engaging directly or indirectly in any transaction involving A7A5, effective November 25, 2025 — reportedly the first time the EU had prohibited a specific crypto token by name. The UK designated A7 under its sanctions law in May 2025, citing A7's role in financial services that undermine Ukraine's sovereignty. In August 2026, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) issued Flash Alert reference 0808-NECC, an industry-wide warning to UK financial institutions about the A7 Network's sanctions evasion methods, prepared in coordination with OFSI, the FCDO, JMLIT, and financial-sector partners. On October 1, 2026, the US Treasury designated the A7 Network as a significant transnational criminal organization (TCO) and FinCEN issued a Finding and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) under the Combating Russian Money Laundering Act identifying A7 Network Sub-Agents as a class of transactions of primary money laundering concern, with a proposed rule (31 CFR 1010.668) that would prohibit US financial institutions from transmitting funds or cryptocurrency to or from A7 Sub-Agents.","heading":"Sanctions Designations","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Targets Use of Stablecoins for Russian Sanctions Evasion (Elliptic)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/ofac-targets-use-of-stablecoins-for-russian-sanctions-evasion"},{"credibility":1,"name":"EU Adopts 19th Russia Sanctions Package (Skadden)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2025/11/eu-adopts-19th-sanctions-package"},{"credibility":2,"name":"EU's 19th Sanctions Package Expands to Crypto Providers and Russian Stablecoins (CoinEx)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.coinex.com/en/academy/detail/3367-eus-19th-sanctions-package-expands-to-crypto-providers-and-russian-stablecoins"},{"credibility":2,"name":"U.S. Designates Russia-Linked A7 Network a Significant Transnational Criminal Organization (Meduza)","type":"news_article","url":"https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/02/u-s-designates-russia-linked-sanctions-evasion-payment-network-a7-a-significant-transnational-criminal-organization"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FinCEN Moves to Cut the A7 Network's Sub-Agents Off From the US Financial System (TRM Labs)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/fincen-moves-to-cut-the-a7-networks-sub-agents-off-from-the-us-financial-system"},{"credibility":2,"name":"UK Warns Banks Over Russia's A7 Sanctions-Evasion Network (FinTelegram)","type":"news_article","url":"https://fintelegram.com/a7-sanctions-evasion-network-nca-alert/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"UK NCA Issues Industry-Wide Alert on A7 Russia Sanctions Evasion Network (Global Sanctions)","type":"news_article","url":"https://globalsanctions.com/2026/09/uk-nca-issues-industry-wide-alert-on-a7-russia-sanctions-evasion-network/"}]},{"content":"A7A5 is a ruble-pegged stablecoin deployed on both the Tron (TRC-20) and Ethereum (ERC-20) blockchains. According to contract data published by the project and indexed by Etherscan, the Ethereum contract address is 0x6fA0BE17e4beA2fCfA22ef89BF8ac9aab0AB0fc9, and a wrapped version (wA7A5) exists at 0x0d57436f2d39c0664c6f0f2e349229483f87ea38. The Tron TRC-20 contract address is TLeVfrdym8RoJreJ23dAGyfJDygRtiWKBZ. Arkham Intelligence reported that approximately 99% of A7A5 supply is held on Tron. Each token is claimed to be backed 1:1 by ruble deposits held in Promsvyazbank accounts, providing what Elliptic described as 'virtually unlimited liquidity' via the sanctioned state bank. TRM Labs documented that between February 2025 and June 2026, over 180 entities processed $179.1 billion in A7A5 transactions. The stablecoin functions as a mirror settlement system: Russian customers transfer value internally via A7A5 tokens, while A7 Sub-Agents in third countries execute matching fiat payments in dollars, euros, yuan, or dirhams on their behalf, stripping Russia-identifying references from trade documents. FinCEN noted that staff operating these sub-agent accounts used VPNs to appear located in jurisdictions where they sought banking services. The A7A5 issuer also injected over $1.3 billion in USDT liquidity into its own decentralized exchange to facilitate A7A5-to-USDT conversion, enabling Russian entities to access dollar-denominated assets.","heading":"On-Chain Mechanics and Technical Profile","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"A7A5 Token Contracts (Official Docs)","type":"official","url":"https://docs.a7a5.io/a7a5-token/token-contracts"},{"credibility":1,"name":"A7A5 (ERC-20) on Etherscan","type":"on_chain","url":"https://etherscan.io/address/0x6fA0BE17e4beA2fCfA22ef89BF8ac9aab0AB0fc9"},{"credibility":2,"name":"A7A5: The Ruble Stablecoin Linked to a Growing Shadow Economy (Arkham Intelligence)","type":"research","url":"https://info.arkm.com/research/a7a5-russia-stablecoin-ruble-what-is-explained-2026"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FinCEN Moves to Cut the A7 Network's Sub-Agents Off From the US Financial System (TRM Labs)","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/fincen-moves-to-cut-the-a7-networks-sub-agents-off-from-the-us-financial-system"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Sanctioned Ruble Stablecoin A7A5 Gains Top 3 Spot in Tron Activity (Bitget News)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bitget.com/news/detail/12560605259432"}]},{"content":"US and EU regulators and blockchain forensics firms have documented A7A5 as a large-scale instrument for Russia's evasion of Western sanctions. FinCEN's October 1, 2026 NPRM found that between February 2025 and June 2026, over 180 entities processed at least $179.1 billion in A7A5 transactions. Elliptic separately reported that cumulative A7A5 exchange volumes exceeded $100 billion within the token's first year, and at its peak the token was transferring over $1 billion per day. A7 claimed historical volume exceeding $91.5 billion — roughly one-eighth of Russia's 2025 foreign trade — though FinCEN's figure of $179.1 billion in A7A5 transactions specifically is higher. According to TRM Labs and FinCEN, the A7 Network's sub-agents held accounts at approximately 435 financial institutions across over 83 countries as of June 2026, with over $17 billion in dollar-denominated transactions processed by these sub-agents between January 2025 and June 2026. Foreign Policy and TRM Labs reported that A7-connected networks facilitated procurement of sensitive electronic goods, dual-use equipment, and shipping services for Russia's war effort, with many sub-agent addresses tied to Chinese, Southeast Asian, and South African firms. FinCEN also found that one sub-agent transacted directly with Iran's shadow fleet entities, and that between July 2023 and October 2025, sub-agents received nearly $140 million from entities involved in Iranian sanctions evasion, including $1.6 million sent to Iran weapons procurement-linked companies. The network's October 2026 TCO designation was in part issued under Iran-related sanctions authorities after Treasury confirmed usage by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and central bank.","heading":"Sanctions Evasion Activity and Scale","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"FinCEN Moves to Cut the A7 Network's Sub-Agents Off From the US Financial System (TRM Labs)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/fincen-moves-to-cut-the-a7-networks-sub-agents-off-from-the-us-financial-system"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Rise of A7A5: The Ruble Stablecoin Now Transfers $1 Billion Per Day (Elliptic)","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/insights/the-rise-of-a7a5-the-ruble-stablecoin-now-transfers-1-billion-per-day/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Russia's Secret, Sanctions-Busting Cryptocurrency Empire (Foreign Policy)","type":"news_article","url":"https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/31/russia-sanctions-evasion-cryptocurrency-a7a5-kyrgyzstan-exports-dual-use-technology/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Treasury Blocks Russia-Linked A7 Network Iran Used to Move Money (Crypto Times)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/10/02/us-treasury-blocks-russia-linked-a7-network-iran-used-to-move-money/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Treasury Designates A7 Network TCO as Ruble Stablecoin Moved $179B (TFTC)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.tftc.io/a7-network-tco-designation-ruble-stablecoin-179-billion-operation-economic-outcast"}]},{"content":"Blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs and Chainalysis documented close operational links between A7A5 and the sanctioned Russian exchange Garantex and its successor entity Grinex. Garantex was sanctioned by OFAC in April 2022 for facilitating over $100 million in illicit transactions and lost its Estonian operating license in February 2022 due to AML/CFT deficiencies. Beginning in January 2025, wallets previously identified as Garantex-controlled began moving funds into A7A5 tokens. TRM Labs identified on-chain address TNDjh6WGLYyWmkh8vfu42bXVHUqFNQ3rDq as a Garantex-controlled address that began early A7A5 movements weeks before Garantex's March 6, 2025 domain seizure. Grinex was incorporated in Kyrgyzstan in December 2024, well before the Garantex takedown, and following the seizure, Telegram channels linked to Garantex promoted Grinex as a 'new platform with familiar functionality.' Grinex was sanctioned by OFAC on August 14, 2025 alongside A7A5 issuers. A7A5 was described by TRM Labs as designed to facilitate the movement and recovery of customer funds frozen by the Garantex shutdown. Sergey Mendeleev, co-founder of Garantex, also created a separate ruble-backed token called Cryptorouble (RUBT) and was designated in the same August 2025 OFAC action.","heading":"Relationship to Garantex and Grinex","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Garantex, Grinex, and the A7A5 Token: A Deep Dive into Sanctions Evasion Networks (TRM Labs)","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/garantex-grinex-and-the-a7a5-token-a-deep-dive-into-sanctions-evasion-networks"},{"credibility":2,"name":"How A7A5 and Grinex Enable the Russian Shadow Crypto Economy (Chainalysis)","type":"research","url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/a7a5-grinex-russian-crypto-economy-ofac-sanctions-august-2025/"}]},{"content":"Ilan Shor is the dominant shareholder of A7 LLC (51% stake), the network that controls A7A5 issuer Old Vector LLC. Shor is a Moldovan-Israeli businessman who fled Moldova following his 2017 initial conviction for crimes connected to the theft of approximately $1 billion from Moldovan banks in 2014. On April 13, 2023, the Court of Appeal of Chisinau sentenced Shor to 15 years imprisonment and the confiscation of assets valued at EUR 254 million for fraud and money laundering. Shor has been sanctioned by the US, EU, and UK for his role in undermining Moldovan democracy and electoral interference on behalf of Russia. The EU sanctioned A7 itself in part for allegedly transferring money to Moldovan voters to influence the 2024 presidential election and EU accession referendum. Promsvyazbank (PSB), the 49% co-owner of A7 LLC, is a Russian state-owned bank focused on financing Russia's defense sector and has been sanctioned by the US, EU, and UK. FinCEN's October 2026 NPRM identifies the A7 Network as co-founded by Shor and PSB in September 2024.","heading":"Key Principals","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Moldovan Fugitive Oligarch Ilan Shor in Russia's Sanctions Circumvention Deal (European Interest)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.europeaninterest.eu/moldovan-fugitive-oligarch-ilan-shor-in-russias-sanctions-circumvention-deal-reveals-an-ft-investigation/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Ilan Shor (OpenSanctions)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/Q4526147/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Gray Cardinal of Moldova Created and Runs a Crypto Empire (Babel.ua)","type":"news_article","url":"https://babel.ua/en/texts/129142-the-gray-cardinal-of-moldova-created-and-runs-a-crypto-empire-that-helps-russians-circumvent-western-sanctions-and-hide-their-money-meet-ilan-shor"},{"credibility":1,"name":"A7, Company Implicated in Sanctions Evasion, Reportedly Linked to Russian Oligarchs (RFERL)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-cryptocurrency-a7a5-ilan-shor-investigation-sanction-evasion/33746026.html"}]},{"content":"A7A5 launched in February 2025 and grew rapidly through its first year, reaching a market capitalization of approximately $510-$521 million and at its peak processing over $1 billion in daily transactions. CoinGecko listed the token, and Arkham Intelligence noted it briefly ranked among the 20 largest stablecoins by market cap. Following the coordinated August 2025 OFAC, EU (October–November 2025), and UK (May 2025 initial, August 2026 flash alert) enforcement actions, transaction volumes declined sharply. Elliptic reported that by mid-2026 daily transaction volumes had fallen approximately 96% from their peak, dropping to a low of approximately $24.3 million per day in June 2026. Mainstream crypto exchanges began screening deposits originating from A7A5's network, effectively quarantining the token from broader crypto markets. The primary exchange associated with A7A5 activity went offline. CoinGecko reported A7A5 trading at effectively $0 with no recorded volume in the 24-hour period following the October 2026 TCO designation. TRM Labs identified TokenSpot, an unsanctioned Kyrgyz exchange sharing infrastructure with Grinex, as a remaining operational channel processing A7-linked volume, with $6.7 billion in volume and A7/Grinex/Garantex comprising approximately 28% of its outgoing transfers as of mid-2026.","heading":"Market Trajectory and Enforcement Impact","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"The Fall of A7A5: How Sanctions Strangled the Ruble Stablecoin (Elliptic)","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/the-fall-of-a7a5-how-sanctions-strangled-the-ruble-stablecoin"},{"credibility":2,"name":"A7A5 Stablecoin Collapse: 96% Wiped as U.S., EU, and U.K. Sanctions Hit (Cryptonomist)","type":"news_article","url":"https://en.cryptonomist.ch/2026/07/29/a7a5-stablecoin-collapse/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Russia Built a Sanctions-Proof Stablecoin. The Data Says It Is Dying (Crypto News)","type":"news_article","url":"https://crypto.news/russia-built-a-sanctions-proof-stablecoin-the-data-says-it-is-dying/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"A7A5 Price Chart (CoinGecko)","type":"on_chain","url":"https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/a7a5"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FinCEN Moves to Cut the A7 Network's Sub-Agents Off From the US Financial System (TRM Labs)","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/fincen-moves-to-cut-the-a7-networks-sub-agents-off-from-the-us-financial-system"}]},{"content":"Holding, trading, or facilitating transactions involving A7A5 exposes financial institutions and crypto exchanges to severe regulatory and legal risk across US, EU, and UK jurisdictions. Under OFAC's August 2025 designation, A7A5 tokens are treated as blocked property and any US-person transaction involving them is prohibited. The EU's 19th sanctions package imposes a direct, named prohibition on A7A5 effective November 25, 2025. FinCEN's October 2026 NPRM, if finalized as proposed rule 31 CFR 1010.668, would extend prohibitions to fiat transmittals to or from A7 sub-agents. TRM Labs and FinCEN identified red flags that compliance programs should screen for, including: newly formed UAE, Hong Kong, Kyrgyz, Turkish, or Seychelles trading companies with sudden volume spikes; goods descriptions that diverge across invoices; use of multiple financial intermediaries; AI-altered invoices; and on-chain exposure to A7A5 contract addresses on Ethereum or Tron, wrapped A7A5 on other chains, or OTC desks in jurisdictions of concern. The UK's OFSI simultaneously doubled its maximum financial penalty for sanctions breaches from 50% to 100% of the breach value, announced alongside the August 2026 NCA flash alert on A7.","heading":"Compliance Risk for Exchanges and Financial Institutions","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"FinCEN Moves to Cut the A7 Network's Sub-Agents Off From the US Financial System (TRM Labs)","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/fincen-moves-to-cut-the-a7-networks-sub-agents-off-from-the-us-financial-system"},{"credibility":1,"name":"UK NCA Issues Industry-Wide Alert on A7 Russia Sanctions Evasion Network (Global Sanctions)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://globalsanctions.com/2026/09/uk-nca-issues-industry-wide-alert-on-a7-russia-sanctions-evasion-network/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"EU Adopts 19th Russia Sanctions Package (Skadden)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2025/11/eu-adopts-19th-sanctions-package"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto Regulatory Affairs: EU Sanctions Target A7A5 Ruble-Backed Stablecoin (Elliptic)","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/crypto-regulatory-affairs-eu-sanctions-target-a7a5-ruble-backed-stablecoin"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":2,"name":"U.S. Designates Russia-Linked A7 Network a Significant Transnational Criminal Organization (Meduza)","type":"news_article","url":"https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/02/u-s-designates-russia-linked-sanctions-evasion-payment-network-a7-a-significant-transnational-criminal-organization"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FinCEN Moves to Cut the A7 Network's Sub-Agents Off From the US Financial System (TRM Labs)","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/fincen-moves-to-cut-the-a7-networks-sub-agents-off-from-the-us-financial-system"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Garantex, Grinex, and the A7A5 Token: A Deep Dive into Sanctions Evasion Networks (TRM Labs)","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/garantex-grinex-and-the-a7a5-token-a-deep-dive-into-sanctions-evasion-networks"},{"credibility":2,"name":"How A7A5 and Grinex Enable the Russian Shadow Crypto Economy (Chainalysis)","type":"research","url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/a7a5-grinex-russian-crypto-economy-ofac-sanctions-august-2025/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Rise of A7A5: The Ruble Stablecoin Now Transfers $1 Billion Per Day (Elliptic)","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/insights/the-rise-of-a7a5-the-ruble-stablecoin-now-transfers-1-billion-per-day/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Fall of A7A5: How Sanctions Strangled the Ruble Stablecoin (Elliptic)","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/the-fall-of-a7a5-how-sanctions-strangled-the-ruble-stablecoin"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto Regulatory Affairs: EU Sanctions Target A7A5 Ruble-Backed Stablecoin (Elliptic)","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/crypto-regulatory-affairs-eu-sanctions-target-a7a5-ruble-backed-stablecoin"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Targets Use of Stablecoins for Russian Sanctions Evasion (Elliptic)","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/ofac-targets-use-of-stablecoins-for-russian-sanctions-evasion"},{"credibility":1,"name":"EU Adopts 19th Russia Sanctions Package (Skadden)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2025/11/eu-adopts-19th-sanctions-package"},{"credibility":2,"name":"A7A5: The Ruble Stablecoin Linked to a Growing Shadow Economy (Arkham Intelligence)","type":"research","url":"https://info.arkm.com/research/a7a5-russia-stablecoin-ruble-what-is-explained-2026"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Russia's Secret, Sanctions-Busting Cryptocurrency Empire (Foreign Policy)","type":"news_article","url":"https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/31/russia-sanctions-evasion-cryptocurrency-a7a5-kyrgyzstan-exports-dual-use-technology/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"A7, Company Implicated in Sanctions Evasion, Reportedly Linked to Russian Oligarchs (RFERL)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-cryptocurrency-a7a5-ilan-shor-investigation-sanction-evasion/33746026.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Ilan Shor (OpenSanctions)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/Q4526147/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"UK NCA Issues Industry-Wide Alert on A7 Russia Sanctions Evasion Network (Global Sanctions)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://globalsanctions.com/2026/09/uk-nca-issues-industry-wide-alert-on-a7-russia-sanctions-evasion-network/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Treasury Blocks Russia-Linked A7 Network Iran Used to Move Money (Crypto Times)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/10/02/us-treasury-blocks-russia-linked-a7-network-iran-used-to-move-money/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"A7A5 Stablecoin Collapse: 96% Wiped as U.S., EU, and U.K. Sanctions Hit (Cryptonomist)","type":"news_article","url":"https://en.cryptonomist.ch/2026/07/29/a7a5-stablecoin-collapse/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"A7A5 (ERC-20) on Etherscan","type":"on_chain","url":"https://etherscan.io/address/0x6fA0BE17e4beA2fCfA22ef89BF8ac9aab0AB0fc9"},{"credibility":2,"name":"A7A5 Price Chart (CoinGecko)","type":"on_chain","url":"https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/a7a5"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Gray Cardinal of Moldova Created and Runs a Crypto Empire (Babel.ua)","type":"news_article","url":"https://babel.ua/en/texts/129142-the-gray-cardinal-of-moldova-created-and-runs-a-crypto-empire-that-helps-russians-circumvent-western-sanctions-and-hide-their-money-meet-ilan-shor"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Treasury Designates A7 Network TCO as Ruble Stablecoin Moved $179B (TFTC)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.tftc.io/a7-network-tco-designation-ruble-stablecoin-179-billion-operation-economic-outcast"}],"summary":"A7A5 is a ruble-pegged stablecoin issued by Kyrgyzstan-registered Old Vector LLC on the Tron and Ethereum blockchains, launched in February 2025. It is majority-owned by sanctioned Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor and backed by Russian state-owned defense bank Promsvyazbank, both of which carry active OFAC, EU, and UK sanctions designations. Multiple governments and blockchain analytics firms have documented A7A5's role as a primary instrument in Russia's large-scale evasion of Western financial sanctions, with FinCEN reporting over $179.1 billion in A7A5 transactions across more than 180 entities between February 2025 and June 2026; by mid-2026 coordinated enforcement actions had reduced daily transaction volumes by approximately 96% from peak.","timeline":[{"date":"2014-01-01","event":"Approximately $1 billion stolen from three Moldovan banks in an operation later linked to Ilan Shor.","source":"OpenSanctions / RFERL","source_url":"https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/Q4526147/"},{"date":"2022-04-05","event":"OFAC sanctions Garantex for facilitating over $100 million in illicit crypto transactions.","source":"TRM Labs (Garantex, Grinex, and A7A5 deep dive)","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/garantex-grinex-and-the-a7a5-token-a-deep-dive-into-sanctions-evasion-networks"},{"date":"2023-04-13","event":"Court of Appeal of Chisinau sentences Ilan Shor to 15 years imprisonment for fraud and money laundering; EUR 254 million in assets ordered confiscated.","source":"OpenSanctions","source_url":"https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/Q4526147/"},{"date":"2024-09-01","event":"A7 Network founded by Ilan Shor and Promsvyazbank (PSB).","source":"TRM Labs","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/fincen-moves-to-cut-the-a7-networks-sub-agents-off-from-the-us-financial-system"},{"date":"2024-12-01","event":"Grinex incorporated in Kyrgyzstan; Meer exchange domain registered.","source":"TRM Labs (Garantex, Grinex, and A7A5 deep dive)","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/garantex-grinex-and-the-a7a5-token-a-deep-dive-into-sanctions-evasion-networks"},{"date":"2025-01-01","event":"Garantex wallets begin moving funds into A7A5 tokens; A7A5 launches (initial date cited by some sources as January, others February 2025).","source":"TRM Labs","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/garantex-grinex-and-the-a7a5-token-a-deep-dive-into-sanctions-evasion-networks"},{"date":"2025-02-01","event":"A7A5 stablecoin publicly launched on Tron and Ethereum networks, issued by Old Vector LLC.","source":"Elliptic","source_url":"https://www.elliptic.co/insights/the-rise-of-a7a5-the-ruble-stablecoin-now-transfers-1-billion-per-day/"},{"date":"2025-03-06","event":"Multinational operation seizes Garantex's primary domain; approximately $26 million in USDT frozen; A7A5 and Grinex absorb displaced Garantex users.","source":"TRM Labs","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/garantex-grinex-and-the-a7a5-token-a-deep-dive-into-sanctions-evasion-networks"},{"date":"2025-05-01","event":"UK designates A7 LLC under UK sanctions law for undermining Ukraine's sovereignty.","source":"Financial Times / Elliptic","source_url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/crypto-regulatory-affairs-eu-sanctions-target-a7a5-ruble-backed-stablecoin"},{"date":"2025-08-14","event":"OFAC designates A7 LLC, A71 LLC, A7 Agent LLC, Old Vector LLC, Grinex, and associated individuals including Sergey Mendeleev (Garantex co-founder). A7A5 declared blocked property under US sanctions.","source":"Elliptic","source_url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/ofac-targets-use-of-stablecoins-for-russian-sanctions-evasion"},{"date":"2025-10-23","event":"EU adopts 19th Russia sanctions package, including named prohibition on A7A5 transactions effective November 25, 2025.","source":"Skadden / Elliptic","source_url":"https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2025/11/eu-adopts-19th-sanctions-package"},{"date":"2025-11-25","event":"EU 19th sanctions package A7A5 prohibition takes effect; first instance of EU naming a specific crypto token in a sanctions prohibition.","source":"Elliptic","source_url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/crypto-regulatory-affairs-eu-sanctions-target-a7a5-ruble-backed-stablecoin"},{"date":"2026-06-01","event":"A7A5 daily transaction volumes reach low of approximately $24.3 million, down approximately 96% from July 2025 peak, per Elliptic data.","source":"Elliptic","source_url":"https://www.elliptic.co/blog/the-fall-of-a7a5-how-sanctions-strangled-the-ruble-stablecoin"},{"date":"2026-08-01","event":"UK NCA and NECC issue Flash Alert 0808-NECC to UK financial institutions warning about A7 Network sanctions evasion methods. OFSI simultaneously doubles maximum sanctions breach penalty to 100% of breach value.","source":"Global Sanctions / NCA","source_url":"https://globalsanctions.com/2026/09/uk-nca-issues-industry-wide-alert-on-a7-russia-sanctions-evasion-network/"},{"date":"2026-10-01","event":"US Treasury designates A7 Network as a significant transnational criminal organization (TCO). FinCEN issues Finding and NPRM under the Combating Russian Money Laundering Act identifying A7 Sub-Agents as a primary money laundering concern. FinCEN reports $179.1 billion in A7A5 transactions across 180+ entities between February 2025 and June 2026. Sub-agents found to have held accounts at approximately 435 financial institutions across 83+ countries.","source":"TRM Labs / Meduza","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/fincen-moves-to-cut-the-a7-networks-sub-agents-off-from-the-us-financial-system"}]},"v":1}