Overview
- The UK added 18 people and organisations to its sanctions list on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, naming the A7 international payment system and its leaders Igor Gorin and Irina Akopyan.
- Sanctions also target crypto-linked actors, including Garantex co‑founder Sergey Mendeleev and exchanges EXMO and Huobi Global, plus three Latin American and Georgian crypto‑exchanger firms.
- The government named the Eurasian Savings Bank as a financial node allegedly used to process payments for the A7 network and linked A7's operations to third‑country pathways including Kyrgyzstan.
- Designations carry asset freezes, bans on UK business cooperation and entry prohibitions for listed individuals, measures the Foreign Secretary says are intended to stop funds reaching Russia's military economy.
- This step continues a series of recent UK rounds that broadened focus from people and defence supply chains to shadow finance and cross‑border intermediaries, and may lead to greater scrutiny of crypto platforms and correspondent banks.