By Emmanuella Opara | November 7th 2026
KEY POINTS
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has encouraged African countries to explore A7, a Russian-backed international payment platform.
- Russia says the network can facilitate cross-border transactions outside Western financial infrastructure.
- Deputy Prime Minister Anton Siluanov put the transaction cost at 0.3 per cent.
- A7 opened representative offices in Nigeria and Zimbabwe in 2025.
MAIN STORY
Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged African countries to consider adopting alternative international payment systems, as Moscow seeks to expand the reach of its Russian-backed A7 platform across the continent.
Putin made the appeal at the third Russia-Africa Summit, where Russian officials showcased the payment network as an option for facilitating cross-border transactions without relying on conventional Western financial infrastructure.
During an exhibition of Russian technological solutions, Putin said the platform could support transactions involving conventional and digital currencies, while offering African countries an alternative to existing international payment arrangements.
“Digital currencies are being developed in the United States, and they are being developed here as well. So why can’t the African continent connect to this high-tech network?” Putin said.
He also argued that the system would be less vulnerable to external restrictions, describing the payment network as sovereign and independent of outside interference.
“No one will block anything for you. From the point of view of modern technologies, it is impossible to block such payments. Simply impossible,” he said.
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Anton Siluanov, highlighted the speed and cost of transactions through A7, saying payments could be completed with a single click at a charge of 0.3 per cent.
“Payments are fast, in one click, and the cost is only 0.3% — that is extremely low for transactions,” Siluanov said.
Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Executive Office, Maxim Oreshkin, said Russian banks had partnered with foreign institutions and non-credit financial organisations to facilitate international payments without using the Western financial system. He added that Russia was prepared to share the technology with other countries.
A7 is developing international payment infrastructure, including in African markets. The company opened representative offices in Nigeria and Zimbabwe in 2025.
Established in 2024 with the participation of PSB, A7 operates a payment infrastructure covering more than 100 countries and serves over 15,000 participants in foreign economic activity.
The company said its payment transactions exceeded RUB10tn in 2025, reflecting the scale of its operations as it seeks to extend its presence in international markets.
THE ISSUES
The proposal comes as Russia promotes payment arrangements that operate outside Western financial networks. For African countries, the potential appeal lies in having additional channels for cross-border transactions and international trade.
However, the claims about the network’s ability to avoid payment restrictions and its transaction costs were presented by Russian officials at the summit. The report does not provide independent assessments of the platform’s performance, regulatory arrangements or adoption by African financial institutions.
A7’s existing presence in Nigeria and Zimbabwe gives the company a starting point for its African expansion, although the extent of its operations and partnerships in both countries was not detailed.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“Digital currencies are being developed in the United States, and they are being developed here as well. So why can’t the African continent connect to this high-tech network?” Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, said.
“Payments are fast, in one click, and the cost is only 0.3% — that is extremely low for transactions,” Anton Siluanov, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, said.
WHAT’S NEXT
A7 is seeking to expand its international payment infrastructure in Africa, building on the representative offices it established in Nigeria and Zimbabwe in 2025. The extent to which other African countries adopt the platform remains unclear.
BOTTOM LINE
Russia is positioning A7 as an alternative channel for international payments in Africa, with Nigeria among the markets where the company has established a presence. Its expansion will depend on the interest of African businesses and financial institutions, as well as the regulatory arrangements governing its use.
