{"id":3494,"date":"2026-05-30T21:13:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T21:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/?p=3494"},"modified":"2026-05-30T21:13:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T21:13:48","slug":"uk-imposes-sanctions-on-18-crypto-firms-accused-of-supporting-russias-90-billion-financial-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/2026\/05\/30\/uk-imposes-sanctions-on-18-crypto-firms-accused-of-supporting-russias-90-billion-financial-network\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Imposes Sanctions on 18 Crypto Firms Accused of Supporting Russia\u2019s $90 Billion Financial Network"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The United Kingdom has announced sanctions against 18 cryptocurrency platforms, financial institutions, and payment networks allegedly linked to Russia\u2019s efforts to circumvent international sanctions through the Kremlin backed A7 payment network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities claim the targeted entities processed more than $90 billion in transactions during 2025, helping sustain financial channels connected to Russia\u2019s ongoing war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major Crypto Exchanges Accused of Facilitating Sanctioned Transactions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A report from TRM Labs identified several crypto platforms, including HTX, EXMO, BitPapa, and Rapira Group, as being connected to financial activity involving sanctioned Russian networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the findings, HTX alone processed more than $4.9 billion in on chain transactions involving UK sanctioned entities and the A7 network since 2021. Of that amount, approximately $1.13 billion reportedly moved after the March 2025 shutdown of the Russian crypto exchange Garantex. Nearly $838 million of those funds were allegedly directed to the A7 network during the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers noted that activity linked to Russian financial networks continued even after Garantex ceased operations. Instead of disappearing, transaction flows allegedly shifted toward replacement platforms and payment services, including Rapira, Aifory Pro, Grinex.io, and ABCex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report further states that EXMO conducted more than $19.5 million in direct transactions with sanctioned entities such as Garantex and Chatex. BitPapa was also reportedly involved in transferring millions of dollars to the same network of actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Billions Moved Through Alternative Payment Channels<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TRM Labs found that Rapira processed over $543 million in transactions, including approximately $375.6 million connected to Grinex.io. Aifory Pro reportedly transferred more than $189 million, with $175.2 million linked to ABCex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABCex itself recorded roughly $355 million in transactions involving sanctioned firms. The platform allegedly sent $175.2 million to Aifory Pro, $133.4 million to Garantex, and $38.1 million to Rapira.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the sanctions package, all 18 entities have been added to the UK Consolidated List. Businesses operating within the United Kingdom are now legally required to freeze assets associated with the sanctioned organizations and prevent any transactions involving them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK Government Vows to Block Sanctions Evasion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on the new measures, Yvette Cooper emphasized the government\u2019s commitment to disrupting financial networks that support Russia\u2019s war efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stated that any belief by the Kremlin that it can avoid sanctions through cryptocurrency networks or shadow financial systems is misguided. Cooper added that the latest restrictions are intended to cut off funding channels that help sustain Russia\u2019s military operations in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russian Linked Crypto Activity Continues to Expand<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sanctions also target individuals believed to be connected to the A7 network. According to government findings, the operation is supported by a Kyrgyz financial institution suspected of facilitating payments within the system. Officials also pointed to a major international crypto exchange that allegedly routed more than $1.5 billion back into financial channels associated with Kremlin linked entities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A separate analysis from TRM Labs found that illicit cryptocurrency activity increased significantly last year, with Russian related transactions accounting for a substantial portion of the growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest contributors was the A7A5 token, which reportedly generated around $72 billion in trading volume. Wallets directly linked to the A7 network were responsible for an additional $39 billion in transactions. Investigators believe that much of this activity flowed through Garantex and Grinex, highlighting the continued role of alternative crypto infrastructure in facilitating high value financial transfers despite international sanctions.#crypto#cryptonews https:\/\/t.me\/coinsignalpublic<\/a> https:\/\/coinsignals.net<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United Kingdom has announced sanctions against 18 cryptocurrency platforms, financial institutions, and payment networks allegedly linked to Russia\u2019s efforts to circumvent international sanctions through the...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3494"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3496,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3494\/revisions\/3496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}