This sanctioned Russian stablecoin claims it processes billions, but blockchain analysts disagree

FinanceThis sanctioned Russian stablecoin claims it processes billions, but blockchain analysts disagreeA7A5 claims crypto data providers understate its trading activity, while blockchain analytics firms say the ruble-backed token's volumes have fallen sharply this year.By Olivier Acuna|Edited by Aoyon Ashraf Jul 3, 2026, 7:18 p.m.

3 min readMake preferred on ShareShare this articleCopy linkX iconX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmailMake preferred on Kremlin and Moskva River. (Pavel Kazachkov/CoinDesk)SummaryShowA7A5, a Russian ruble-pegged stablecoin designed to bypass Western financial channels, is at the center of a dispute over how widely it is actually used.The token’s issuer claims more than $200 million in average daily volume driven largely by decentralized finance activity, but blockchain analytics firms say real usage is far lower and heavily inflated by circular transactions.

Analysts argue that sanctions and the collapse of a key Russia-linked exchange have sharply reduced A7A5’s momentum, while the issuer counters that traditional data providers undercount DeFi-based activity, highlighting the broader challenge of tracking sanctions-evasion efforts in crypto.There is a growing dispute brewing between a sanctioned ruble-backed stablecoin issuer and blockchain analytics firms over the actual usage of the Russian-backed stablecoin.A7A5, the Russian cross-border stablecoin designed to facilitate payments outside Western financial channels, claims it averages about $205 million in daily trading volume and has processed $34.

4 billion between Jan. 1 and June 17 this year.According to Oleg Ogienko, A7A5's director for regulatory affairs, most of the tokens's activity takes place in decentralized finance (DeFi).

On these DeFi platforms, users typically don't need to identify themselves, and trades can occur directly between crypto wallets rather than through centralized exchanges.However, some blockchain analytics firms, including TRM Labs and Elliptic, are disputing that framing.Chris Keegan, an analyst at TRM Labs, said the firm's analysis places A7A5's average daily volume closer to $75 million, with activity declining in recent months.

He also claims that about 34% of observed transaction volume appears to consist of circular fund movements that artificially inflate activity."We truly don't think there is large-scale, authentic usage of A7A5 outside of A7," Keegan said in an email, referring to the token's issuer. He added that transaction volumes routinely collapse on weekends because much of the activity appears tied to business-to-business transfers involving the Russia-linked exchange Grinex.

Meanwhile, Tom Robinson, co-founder of another blockchain analytics firm, Elliptic, also said the token has lost momentum. He said that monthly transaction volumes have fallen by more than 90% since January and are down 96% from their peak last year, following sanctions imposed by the U.S.

, the European Union and the United Kingdom, as well as the collapse of Grinex earlier this year."The cherry-picked trading and transaction figures provided by A7A5 are consistent with Elliptic's analysis," Robinson said. "However, they conceal the obvious trend: that A7A5 is failing in its goal of enabling Russian sanctions evasion."

A7A5's Ogienko denied these claims and said that because the token’s activity mostly takes place in DeFi, it is not fully captured by major crypto data sites. "These outdated principles and metrics do not provide users around the world with objective information about A7A5," he told CoinDesk in a statement via Telegram.He said data providers, including CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko and DeFiLlama rely too heavily on centralized exchange data, creating what he claimed "a generally discriminatory approach, contrary to the principles of the United Nations."

Neither A7A5's nor the blockchain analytics firms' claims were independently verified by CoinDesk.A7A5, a ruble-pegged stablecoin backed by deposits at Promsvyazbank, a Russian bank hit by Western sanctions, was rolled out in Kyrgyzstan in early 2025. The Russian-backed stablecoin was allegedly developed specifically as a means for Russia to evade Western sanctions.

Last year, the EU, U.K. and U.

S. sanctioned A7A5 as well.Meanwhile, Russia recently sanctioned British teenager Alexander Browder for his role in exposing the alleged use of ruble-pegged stablecoin A7A5 in funding the war effort against Ukraine.

The 17-year-old penned a report for foreign policy and national security think tank The Henry Jackson Society, which the Russian Foreign Ministry described as spreading "defamatory speculations and false information."Kaitlin Martin, a sanctions and national security specialist, said A7A5 remains largely confined to a Russia-linked ecosystem because Western sanctions have prevented most global trading venues from listing the token.She said users can still swap A7A5 into other cryptocurrencies through Russia-linked services, allowing funds to enter the bro