Russia created largest non-dollar crypto stablecoin – bank boss
Russia has created the largest stablecoin not pegged to the US dollar through its A7 cross-border payment system, the chairman of Promsvyazbank (PSB), Pyotr Fradkov, has said.
PSB launched A7 in October 2024 in response to the US and EU sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine conflict, including the disconnection of almost all of the country’s banks from the SWIFT international settlement network. The domestic payment system now services 2,000 money transfers on a daily basis and already accounts for some 20% of all foreign transactions by Russian companies.
Fradkov said in an interview with RBK on Monday that PBS takes great pride in A7 becoming “the first to issue a stablecoin tied to the ruble” after making A7A5 available to its customers in September 2025.
“This is a small piece of the global stablecoin market, but it is the largest non-dollar stablecoin. The turnover of A7A5 since its inception has reached nearly $140 billion,” he said.
A stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency that aims to maintain a consistent value relative to a specified asset. A7A5 is tied to the Russian ruble at a one-to-one ratio.
“The total capitalization of all stablecoins is estimated at around $312 billion. About 99% of that is linked to dollar-denominated instruments. Only 1% accounts for other currencies, and within that percentage, we are the largest with a capitalization of A7A5 at about $570 million,” the banker said.
Its European euro-linked counterpart is second, being valued at $440 million, with a Brazilian stablecoin in third place but far behind, with a capitalization of $52 million, he said.
With further development of A7A5 and other products, “a target of 10% of the market is quite substantial” for A7 in the future, Fradnov said. “If such an ambitious goal is set, it would mean not just trading within Russia but using payment mechanisms in international trade,” he stressed.
The success of the Russian stablecoin has been proven by the reaction to it from Western regulators, the PBS chairman suggested.
“A7A5 has already been included in the EU sanctions lists as an independent infrastructure project. This confirms that competition today is not only between individual financial instruments but also between entire payment ecosystems,” he said.
