5. RUSSIA 7 IRAN - Shadow Banking Sanctions Evasion - MAX-MAIZLISH & KETI KORKIYA 100726

1800 KREMLINShadow Banking Sanctions EvasionMax Maizlish and Keti Korkiya report the US Treasury targets opaque shadow banking networks like A7 that facilitate billions in illicit financial flows for Russia and Iran. Utilizing ruble-backed digital tokens converted into USDT tethers, these networks move capital through over 400 financial institutions across post-Soviet states like Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, as well as global hubs in Hong Kong and the UAE. Regulators demand harmonized international compliance and far stricter oversight on cryptocurrency exchanges to dismantle complex transnational sanctions evasion mechanisms. (5)