The expert questioned the effectiveness of Western sanctions against the A7 platform

The sanctions imposed by the EU against the A7 payment platform will not affect its operation. This was stated to Izvestia by Ekaterina Budkina, a lecturer at the Department of Financial and Investment Management at the Faculty of Higher School of Management at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.

"The very fact of imposing sanctions can be regarded as an indirect recognition of the technological level and relevance of the platform. In the short period of its existence, the company has managed to gain the trust of users and demonstrate significant growth. When entering the market, external pressure scenarios were envisaged, and the route structure was initially formed taking into account possible restrictions," Ekaterina Budkina said.

According to the expert, the sanctions imposed will not affect the operation of the system.

"In recent years, the Russian market has demonstrated the ability to adapt quickly: companies are diversifying payment channels, using alternative payment systems more actively, and also switching to settlements in national currencies. Over time, this contributes to the formation of a more stable and less dependent on Western infrastructure settlement model," says Budkina.

According to the expert, the sanctions pressure in this case can provide the opposite effect, becoming an incentive for development.

"Paradoxically, the imposition of sanctions may become an incentive for the further development of the Russian segment of cross-border settlements. The restrictions encourage market participants to search for technological and legal solutions that can ensure the autonomy and stability of payment transactions," the expert said.

A7 is a cross—border payment system created in 2024 by PSB Bank.