The European Union has officially approved a new, 19th package of restrictive measures against Russia. A key feature of this round was a targeted attack on financial and digital assets used to circumvent previous restrictions.
EU Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas said the new restrictions are aimed at:
- Russian banks;
- crypto exchanges;
- companies in third countries, including India and China.
In addition, the rules for movement within the EU for Russian diplomats are being tightened.
A landmark decision was the inclusion of the ruble-denominated stablecoin A7A5 in the sanctions list. From November 25, 2025, all transactions with this asset within the European Union will be prohibited.
About the A7A5 stablecoin:
- Issuer: A7 company (investor: PSB bank).
- Launch: February 2025 in Kyrgyzstan.
- Collateral: PSB deposits in a 1:1 ratio to the Russian ruble.
- How it works: settlements on foreign trade transactions via the PSB Tokeon digital financial instrument platform.
This is not the first measure against A7A5 — in August 2025 sanctions against the issuer and related companies were introduced by the United States.