UK Sanctions Cryptomus, Heleket And TokenSpot In Russia Package

UK sanctions Cryptomus and Heleket, two crypto payment services, in a package of 38 Russia designations announced on October 8, 2026. Government announcement text counts three crypto exchanges and two payment platforms in the package, including three linked to Kyrgyzstan. An official sanctions notice names the owner and one Kyrgyz exchange.

Entry 3 of the Foreign Office's October 8 sanctions notice, with the statement of reasons.

What the UK sanctions Cryptomus notice says

The notice, published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, lists 38 additions and two variations to the UK Sanctions List, all dated October 8. Entry IDs for the new names run from RUS3753 to RUS3790. When UK sanctions Cryptomus through its owner, the entries carry the October 8 designation date.

Xeltox Enterprises Ltd is the designated company, listed under ID RUS3755 with a Vancouver address and British Columbia registration. The notice lists CRYPTOMUS, HELEKET and Certa Payments Ltd as names it operates under. London says it suspects the company of backing the Russian government in the financial services sector. It points to ownership of Cryptomus and activity continued via Heleket.

Measures include an asset freeze and a ban on UK banks keeping correspondent relationships or processing payments through the entity. Internet services sanctions also require social media, access providers and app stores to take reasonable steps to stop UK users reaching its sites and apps.

TokenSpot and the A7 network

TOKENSPOT CJSC, registered in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, appears under ID RUS3758 with the same set of measures. A separate entry covers OJSC Processing KG and its director, a Kyrgyz national.

The government's text links two of the five platforms to the A7 network. It calls A7 a Kremlin-backed sanctions-evasion system. By its account A7 claimed to move more than $90 billion last year, roughly half of Russia's yearly military spending. Chainalysis wrote on October 8 that funds from TokenSpot, Grinex and Meer converged on one HTX deposit address that received over $308 million.

What Chainalysis found on Cryptomus

Chainalysis had been tracking both payment services before the designation. It says each received funds from more than 15,000 illicit actors across every category it follows. That list includes proceeds linked to the Bybit exploit, ransomware groups and a darknet guarantee marketplace.

Chainalysis also reports that the two services received more illicit funds in several categories than all the mixers in its dataset combined. Illicit counterparties topped 900 in a single month in late 2025. It notes that Canada's FINTRAC fined Cryptomus a record CAD 177 million in October 2025.

What it means when UK sanctions Cryptomus users and partners

Because UK sanctions Cryptomus and Heleket by name, British banks may no longer process payments to or from the designated crypto payment firms. Exchanges and wallets serving UK users should screen for the named entities. The freeze applies to dealings with the designated persons, so screening matters.

Most of the wider package has nothing to do with crypto. It names two oil companies, 12 more shadow fleet tankers and 17 suppliers of goods for the war effort. Only a handful of the 38 entries involve digital assets. This report summarizes official notices and a Chainalysis analysis and is not legal advice.