US Blacklists Russian Payment Platform A7 Over Alleged Iran Sanctions Evasion

The U.S. Treasury Department has expanded sanctions against A7, a Russia-backed cross-border payments platform, barring all transactions with it and designating the company a "transnational criminal organization." The move was announced by the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action is part of ongoing efforts to isolate Iran and the networks that help it access global finance.

Shadow banking allegations

According to the Treasury, A7 built an extensive network of front companies and so-called sub-agents designed to circumvent Western banking restrictions. Officials allege this network gave Iran's central bank, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and oil and weapons smuggling operations access to shadow banking channels for moving illicit funds. The Treasury also said the platform served cybercriminals.

U.S. officials claim A7's sub-agents processed more than $17 billion in global transactions between January 2025 and June 2026. The company is accused of using falsified trade documents and misleading goods descriptions to disguise illegal payments as ordinary commercial transactions.

Company pushes back

Moscow-based A7 rejected the accusations, saying it handles legitimate import and export operations involving consumer goods and commodities, and provides payment services to the Russian market, which it describes as facing unlawful restrictions.

A7 was founded in 2024 with involvement from Promsvyazbank, a bank focused on the defense sector, and has since become a leading player in Russia's cross-border payments market. Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor owns 51% of the company; he was sentenced in Moldova to 15 years in prison for money laundering and now lives in Russia. Shor has been under U.S. sanctions since 2022, and Washington separately sanctioned individual A7 entities last year over a ruble-backed digital token called A7A5.