The European Union has obtained a very effective new sanctioning tool. The EU has the possibility of barring an entire foreign jurisdiction from carrying out crypto transactions in Europe in case it finds a certain country helping Russia avoid sanctions. This measure was included in the EU’s 21st sanction package adopted on July 23, 2026. The new measure has targeted the crypto industry in Georgia, Panama, the UAE and many other jurisdictions.
The ramifications for cryptocurrency firms engaged in transactions concerning EU counterparties are considerable. According to the Council, the said action is termed as “full third-country ban for crypto-asset services,” giving Brussels the authority to stop EU companies transacting with crypto businesses which are deemed as helping with sanction evasion, no matter where they are located.
The trigger the EU built but has not pulled
What distinguishes the measure is that it acts as a caution rather than a restriction. The Council terms it a “strong deterrent,” allowing the EU to take action without putting the measure into effect.
The package does include immediate sanctions against identified targets. The Council notes that fourteen businesses, from Georgia, Panama, the UAE, the Marshall Islands, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus that provide cryptocurrency-related services have been added to the EU’s transaction prohibition list. The European Commission has also widened restrictions for Russian nationals – they are no longer allowed to own or manage any cryptocurrency-related businesses.
Overall, the measures reflect Brussels’ strategy: impose sanctions on individual companies now but retain sanctions for entire countries for the future, should they persist in enabling sanctions evasion. It’s a journalistic shorthand for the European Union’s policy approach, because the EU’s main institutions are headquartered in Brussels.
Why global trade, not just Russia, is exposed
The repercussions go beyond Russia’s borders. The Guardian noted that in addition to Russia, banks and crypto businesses in numerous other countries, including Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, India, Georgia, Panama, the Marshall Islands, Belarus, the UAE and some African nations, were among the more than 100 institutions that were singled out by Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief.
In case the third-country prohibition is enacted, it will not just affect Russian exchanges. In addition to impeding EU businesses from working with cryptocurrency entities in jurisdictions such as Panama and the UAE, it will compel companies operating in these jurisdictions to weigh their options between the EU marketplace and their Russian customers.
The crypto measures adopted by the Commission are part of a broader strategy consisting of financial restrictions, which limit transactions from over 100 Russian banks and prevent them from using financial messaging services. There’s one complaint, though, from a Greek official:
“Sanctions should erode Russia’s economic capacity — not create strategic windfalls for others at Europe’s expense.”
Previously, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air revealed one way that Russian commerce continues across intermediary countries, a loophole that the new cryptocurrency measures are targeting.
Weeks of haggling before the deal was held
It took many weeks of talks before the package of sanctions was finalized. The Kyiv Post reported that the EU ambassadors managed to reach an agreement even when several member states were against some provisions of the draft and pressured Brussels to moderate certain proposals or drop them completely. Since the sanctions require a unanimous decision, every state had an equal influence on the final decision.
As stated in the article, Greece objected to rules restricting European firms shipping Russian liquefied natural gas; Austria was against the penalties affecting Raiffeisen Bank International; and Bulgaria, France and Italy opposed some of the listings put forward for sanctions. Ultimately, it was decided not to implement sanctions on Russian fish imports and on Patriarch Kirill.
Similar caution covers energy policy. The Commission stated that it would impose the ban on transactions with Georgia’s Kulevi refinery, which processes and sells Russian oil, only after a six-month transitional period. This would allow the refinery to stop using Russian crude oil well ahead of the review of the listing by the Council.
What Brussels is signaling next
According to Ukraine, which provided the majority of the supporting evidence, the deal signifies another move to put more pressure on Russia, notwithstanding compromises. Says Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine’s Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy:
“The main conclusion from the 21st sanctions package is that the European Union has once again proved it can reach compromises and continue increasing pressure on Russia,”
He also stated that the development of the 22nd sanctions package is already underway.
For crypto companies that are not based in the EU, the warning is not of instant chaos but of risks ahead. The legal framework has already been established, and Brussels has issued a warning that it is ready to step up sanctions if methods of evasion continue. Whether the EU decides to exercise its cryptocurrency ban will depend on the reactions of the countries in the coming months.
The most important innovation is not just the listing of 14 platforms. For the first time, the EU has created a legal basis to ban crypto-asset services from an entire third-country jurisdiction if it concludes that the jurisdiction hosts platforms facilitating sanctions evasion. Previously, sanctions generally targeted individual firms one by one.
Individuals are listed in the package
Arkady Dvorkovich, the Russian president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), said on Friday he was suspending his activity with the organisation after being placed on the latest European Union sanctions list.
Dvorkovich, in a statement on the FIDE website, denounced the EU move as “unlawful and unfair” and pledged to challenge it by all possible means.
“However, given that until a formal court decision is rendered and/or such decision is cancelled or amended, these sanctions could hinder the stable functioning of FIDE, I have decided to voluntarily suspend the exercise of my powers and duties as FIDE President with immediate effect…” he said.
Dvorkovich, a former Russian deputy prime minister who has led FIDE since 2018, said last month he would seek re-election to the presidency. The election is scheduled to take place at FIDE’s general assembly at September’s Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The statement also said Viswanathan Anand, an Indian world chess champion, would take over as the federation’s interim president.
As of today (July 24), there are only a handful of verified reactions from parties directly affected by the new sanctions. Most sanctioned banks and crypto operators have not issued public statements yet.
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