President Vladimir Putin has invited African nations to integrate into advanced, high-tech international payment systems to ensure secure and seamless cross-border transactions.
Speaking at the third Russia–Africa Summit during an exhibition of cutting-edge Russian technologies, the President and visiting African leaders were presented with the capabilities of A7, a specialized international settlement platform.
Vladimir Putin noted that modern payment technologies enable real-time transactions using both traditional and digital currencies, ensuring convenience and transparency. The President emphasized that these operations are conducted in strict compliance with international law.
“Digital currencies are developing in both the US and Russia. Why shouldn’t the African continent connect to this high-tech system?” Vladimir Putin said.
The President underscored the sovereign nature of the presented payment infrastructure and its complete independence from external restrictions.
“No one will be able to block your transactions. From a technological standpoint, it is simply impossible to cut off these types of settlements. Absolutely impossible,” Putin stated.
Anton Siluanov, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, briefed the summit on A7’s expansion into the African market, highlighting the platform’s exceptional transaction speed and cost-efficiency.
“Payments are executed instantly in a single click, and the transaction cost is just 0.3%, which is remarkably low,” Siluanov noted.
Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, added that Russian banks, alongside foreign partners and non-banking financial institutions, already facilitate global payments independently of the Western financial network. He emphasized Russia’s readiness to share these technologies with partner states.
A7 is actively scaling its international payment infrastructure, with a strong focus on the African continent. In 2025, the company established regional representative offices in Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
A7 is a Russian international settlement platform established in 2024 with the participation of PSB (Promsvyazbank). The company’s payment infrastructure spans over 100 countries, serving more than 15,000 foreign trade operators. In 2025, A7’s total transaction volume exceeded 10 trillion rubles.
