UK issues first nationwide alert on A7 network, proposes doubling sanctions fines

September 1, 2026 at 06:40 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Britain's National Crime Agency issued its first nationwide industry alert on the A7 network on Aug. 31, directing banks, payment providers and crypto firms to trace Russia-linked payment routes. The alert comes alongside a government plan to double the maximum civil penalty for sanctions breaches to the greater of £2 million or 100% of breach value. The A7 network says it processed more than $86 billion in its first year, though that figure is self-reported.

Key Facts

The National Crime Agency issued its first nationwide industry alert on the A7 network on Aug. 31.
The proposed maximum civil penalty for sanctions breaches would rise to the greater of £2 million or 100% of breach value, from £1 million or 50% today.
A7 says it processed more than $86 billion in its first year, a self-reported figure that does not represent a verified measure of illicit flows.
UK authorities previously assessed that crypto liquidity moved from Garantex to Kyrgyzstan-registered Grinex through A7A5, a ruble-backed token, after Garantex faced enforcement action.
By May 2025, Grinex had recorded more than $1.2 billion each in incoming and outgoing USDT transaction volume.

The A7 Alert

Britain is widening its Russia sanctions crackdown from named entities to the payment routes that keep sanctioned networks moving money. On Aug. 31, the National Crime Agency issued its first nationwide industry alert on the A7 network, directing banks, payment providers and crypto firms to examine counterparties, intermediary wallets and cross-border infrastructure linked to Russia-related transactions. Rachael Herbert, Director of the National Economic Crime Centre at the National Crime Agency, said the agency is committed to targeting the nexus between organized crime and sanctions evasion. The alert pushes compliance teams beyond conventional name screening, highlighting intermediary wallets, transaction hashes, decentralized exchanges, mixers, over-the-counter and peer-to-peer routes, services without know-your-customer controls, chain-hopping, VPN use and repeated infrastructure changes as signals that may warrant further scrutiny.

Penalty Overhaul

The move comes alongside a government plan to double the maximum civil penalty available to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation for breaches involving measurable funds or economic resources. The proposed ceiling would rise to the greater of £2 million or 100% of the breach value, from £1 million or 50% today. Banks and crypto firms could face penalties equal to 100% of breach value under the proposed enforcement overhaul.

Network Scale and Evolution

A7 operates a cross-border settlement network that UK authorities say has used financial institutions in third countries, SWIFT and other international payment infrastructure to help Russian clients move funds around sanctions. The network says it processed more than $86 billion in its first year, though that figure is self-reported and does not represent a verified measure of illicit flows. UK authorities previously assessed that crypto liquidity moved from Garantex to Kyrgyzstan-registered Grinex through A7A5, a ruble-backed token, after Garantex faced enforcement action. By May 2025, Grinex had recorded more than $1.2 billion each in incoming and outgoing USDT transaction volume.