The ruble-backed stablecoin A7A5 has continued to expand despite Western sanctions, processing more than $110 billion in cumulative on-chain transactions, according to CertiK. Issued by Old Vector LLC in Kyrgyzstan on behalf of Russia’s cross-border settlement firm A7 LLC, the token now accounts for roughly 43% of the global non-dollar stablecoin market, with its holder base growing from about 13,000 wallets in February 2025 to 29,000 by May 2026. CertiK describes A7A5 as a leading example of a sanctions-evasion stablecoin ecosystem, linking its activity to Russian cross-border settlement channels. The European Union’s 19th sanctions package, adopted on October 23, 2025, forbids A7A5 transactions from November 12, 2025. Yet, CertiK notes that the reserve and issuance architecture places key assets outside direct Western enforcement reach. Key takeaways A7A5 has surpassed $110 billion in cumulative on-chain activity and commands about 43% of the global non-dollar stablecoin market, wi...

The U.S. Treasury Department has expanded its sanctions regime against Iran’s crypto ecosystem, adding four Iranian exchanges—including the country’s largest, Nobitex—to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list. The move is part of Washington’s ongoing Economic Fury campaign, which aims to sever Tehran’s access to the global financial system and curb sanctioned networks from using digital assets to evade controls. OFAC designated Wallex, Bitpin and Ramzinex alongside Nobitex, prohibiting U.S. persons and entities from providing services to these platforms. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move reflects a broader effort “to cut off financial networks from Iran” and to counter the regime’s use of digital assets for sanctions evasion and wealth transfers. “While Iran’s economy is in free fall, the regime has chosen to co-opt digital asset technologies for its own corrupt agenda,” Bessent stated. The sanctions are positioned within the administration’s Economic F...

New research released by Paybis at Money20/20 Europe suggests that stablecoins are rapidly evolving from a crypto-native tool into a core component of business payment infrastructure, with B2B transactions now accounting for the overwhelming majority of stablecoin payment volume. According to the company's latest Stablecoin Infrastructure Report, business adoption is accelerating across cross-border settlements, treasury management, supplier payments, and international payouts. The findings challenge the long-standing narrative that retail checkout payments would become the primary use case for stablecoins. B2B Stablecoin Payments Reach Critical Scale The report cites market research indicating that approximately $390 billion in stablecoin payment volume was processed globally in 2025, with around 60% originating from business-related transactions. B2B stablecoin payments reportedly grew by 733% year-over-year, highlighting increasing demand for faster and more efficient internatio...

BP has seen an impressive spike in its value within the last 24 hours after Backpack launched a new securities trading platform that supports both tokenized and traditional stock trading. Data posted by CoinGecko indicated the coin gained 89.2% over the last 24 hours. https://x.com/coingecko/status/2062064648430510083 Key Takeaways BP rose by 89.2% in just one day after the launch of Backpack’s securities trading platform CoinGecko says the cause for this price movement was the merging of stock trading in both tokenized and traditional forms The price managed to reach around $0.28 from $0.15 earlier in the day CoinGecko Post Draws Attention to BP Rally CoinGecko said that BP increased by 89.2% following the launch of a securities exchange by Backpack which was meant to cater to both traditional and tokenized stock trading. This post received significant attention from cryptocurrency traders given the token’s strong intraday performance. From the chart on CoinGecko, BP traded ...

Mastercard announced on Wednesday that it will expand its settlement capabilities to allow issuers and acquirers to settle certain card transactions using regulated stablecoins. The move introduces intraday, weekend, and holiday settlement options and supports both fiat settlement and on-chain settlement through tokenized dollars, giving partners more flexibility in managing liquidity and timing. The company detailed that the stablecoins will include Circle’s USDC, Paxos-issued PYUSD, USDG, and USDP, as well as Ripple’s RLUSD and SoFi’s SoFiUSD. Settlements will be enabled across multiple networks, including Arbitrum, Base, Canton, Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, Tempo and XRPL, expanding the rails for on-chain settlement alongside traditional fiat channels. Mastercard said that ARQ (formerly DolarApp), CBW Bank, Cross River, Lead Bank, and Nuvei are expected to be among the first to support this optionality for stablecoin settlement in the United States and Latin America. The company also ...

The United Kingdom’s financial regulator has issued a formal warning to football clubs, including Premier League teams, urging them to avoid sponsorship deals with unauthorized financial firms amid concerns that fans are being steered toward high-risk crypto and trading platforms without adequate protections. In a press release, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said multiple unauthorized firms—including crypto businesses and online trading platforms—are using football sponsorships to reach supporters who may be unaware of the regulatory status of these firms. The FCA warned that such sponsorships may breach UK financial services law if the sponsors operate without authorization and that fans who engage with these platforms “risk losing all their money.” The regulator’s notice places scrutiny directly on the clubs, noting that it has written to teams to stress that sponsorship deals with unauthorized financial firms not only threaten fans but could expose clubs to legal liability, ...