Viewpoint: Multiple countries restrict domestic encryption payments but have not banned overseas transactions, raising FATF concerns about cross-border compliance loopholes.

CoinVoice has learned that, according to Cointelegraph, despite the prohibition of retail crypto payments in countries like China, Indonesia, and Russia, legal experts point out that residents still operate in a legal gray area when using crypto assets to pay for overseas services. After the Georgian travel company Tripzy opened a USDT payment channel through CityPay in June 2025, Russian and Turkish tourists can make cross-border bookings using stablecoins, as neither country's laws explicitly prohibit such actions.

The partner of the Turkish law firm Paldimoglu stated that its "Regulation on Prohibiting Payments in Crypto Assets" only restricts local licensed institutions; the founder of Russia's D&A CryptoMap also confirmed that the country's laws do not restrict overseas crypto payments. However, legal overlaps have raised regulatory risks, and experts warn that such transactions may be viewed by Europe and the United States as "loopholes for evading sanctions."

The latest report from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) shows that as of 2024, the proportion of illegal transactions involving stablecoins has risen to 50%, including North Korean hackers and terrorism financing. The agency announced that it will release a special assessment report on anti-money laundering for stablecoins in Q1 2026.