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Bank of Russia Allows Sberbank to Issue Digital Financial Assets
18.3.2022
Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, has been authorized by the country’s monetary policy regulator to issue digital financial assets. The move comes amid tightening Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, including limiting Moscow’s access to the global financial market....
Sberbank, Others Granted Right to ‘Issue & Exchange’ ‘Digital Financial Assets’ in Russia
18.3.2022
Russian regulators appear to be fast-tracking domestic companies’ efforts to become home-grown token exchanges – with the Central Bank approving the banking and IT giant Sberbank’s application to become an official “digital financial assets” (DFA) issuer.
Back in January, Sberbank asked...
Crypto Assets Can Help Russia Return to Global Financial Market, Lawmaker Says
17.3.2022
Digital financial assets like cryptocurrencies can help Russia to reach the global financial market despite western sanctions, a lawmaker working on crypto regulations has stated. The official believes the country is capable of setting up domestic crypto exchanges and should support mining. Russia...
Russia’s Tinkoff Bank Enters Crypto Space Through Swiss Company Acquisition
14.1.2022
The Russian neobank Tinkoff is joining the world of cryptocurrencies with the purchase of a stake in Aximetria, a Swiss-registered and licensed company which provides clients around the world with services and solutions for digital financial assets. Tinkoff Bank Buys Stake in Aximetria TCS Group...
Russian Parliament Sets Up Working Group on Cryptocurrency Regulations
26.11.2021
A working group on cryptocurrencies and related activities will soon begin to meet at the State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament. Its members are expected to take on the task of clarifying various regulatory aspects related to digital financial assets such as the legalization of mining...
Bank of Russia Pushes to Introduce Liability for Illegal Use of Digital Assets
24.11.2021
The monetary authority in Moscow, the Bank of Russia, wants those who use cryptocurrencies against the law to be held accountable. The financial regulator has proposed the introduction of legal liability for some operations with digital assets which it considers illegal. Central Bank of Russia Aims...
Kazakhstan Imposes Purchase Limits on Retail Crypto Investors
5.11.2021
Authorities in Kazakhstan have introduced restrictions on the amounts of cryptocurrency retail investors can buy on local exchanges. Officials explained the decision citing the need to protect private individuals from exposure to the risks associated with digital financial assets. Investors...
Federal Security Service of Russia Seeks Powers to Obtain Information From Crypto Platforms
31.10.2021
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has issued a draft order allowing its agents to request information from cryptocurrency platforms among other organizations. The move follows changes made to the anti-corruption legislation in Russia, the agency noted. FSB Wants Access...
Russia Not Ready for Bitcoin as Legal Tender, Putin’s Spokesman Peskov Says
8.9.2021
Russia has no reason to recognize bitcoin, President Putin’s press secretary has noted after El Salvador became the first country to adopt the digital coin as legal tender. In a statement to the press, Dmitry Peskov revealed he is convinced that such a move would not bring any benefits...
Putin Orders Russian Government to Prepare to Check Officials With Crypto Assets
18.8.2021
President Vladimir Putin has tasked several ministries and the central bank to prepare to verify information provided by government employees about their digital asset holdings. The order comes as part of a new plan to combat corruption which was recently approved by the Russian leader. Authorities...
Bank of Russia Advises Stock Exchanges to Avoid Trading Crypto Instruments
23.7.2021
In line with its hardline stance on cryptocurrencies, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has issued a recommendation against the listing of securities tied to crypto assets on the country’s stock exchanges. The “preventive measure” will not affect state-issued digital currencies....
Study Shows 36% of Nigerian Adults Are Financially Excluded — Digital Financial Services Bolsters Inclusion
6.6.2021
Nearly 36% of Nigeria’s 106 million adults lack access to both regulated and unregulated financial services, according to the findings of the Enhancing Financial Innovations and Access (EFIA) study. In addition, while the findings do suggest a marginal drop in the percentage of financially...
Russian Lawmakers Move to Allow Crypto Payments Under Contracts
24.5.2021
Members of the State Duma are now working on amendments that will permit the use of cryptocurrency as a contractual means of payment. Digital financial assets are regarded as property under Russian law and the changes will legalize crypto payments between parties to a contract. State Duma to Amend...
Russian Public Officials Must Now Declare Their Crypto Holdings as Income
23.10.2020
Public officials in Russia will now be required to declare all the crypto assets they hold as income. The measures are with effect from Jan. 1, 2021, local media reported. Russia’s prosecutor general Igor Krasnov declared: “Starting next year, civil servants will be required to declare...
New Russian Law Bans Bitcoin Payments for Goods and Services
24.7.2020
Russian lawmakers have passed a bill that gives legal status to cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin – but bans them from being used to pay for goods and services. Legislators approved the Digital Financial Assets (DFA) bill on July 22 after its third and final reading. It had already won backing...
Russia Shelves Plans to Criminalize Bitcoin Transactions – For Now
21.7.2020
Russia has dropped plans to criminalize bitcoin transactions – for now, according to local media reports. The Digital Financial Assets Bill (DFA), due to be read for the second time in the Russian parliament – or State Duma – on July 21, has removed references to administrative...
Despite Russia’s Confusing Crypto Laws, P2P Bitcoin Trade Volumes Soar
3.6.2020
Peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading data shows digital assets like bitcoin are growing extremely popular in Russia, despite the State Duma’s opinions and regulations aimed at crypto assets. On Monday, the Russian government published a draft version of litigation mandates called “On...
Russian Official: Cryptocurrency Bill Completed — Effects on Payments, Exchanges, Miners
3.4.2020
The chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Financial Markets has confirmed that the bill which provides the regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in Russia has been completed. The official explained key features of the bill, including how cryptocurrency exchanges and miners will...
Russian Parliament Could Pass Digital Financial Assets Bill Next Month
5.2.2020
Source: iStock/Baris-Ozer
Russia’s parliament, the State Duma, could pass its long-awaited crypto laws as early as March – and it appears that the impasse between pro-crypto businesses and the crypto-skeptic central bank may finally be over.
Anatoly Aksakov, the chairman of the Duma’s financial...
Bitcoin ETF Could Help Stabilize the Market: Paul Atkins Backstage at The Capital
14.11.2019
Paul Atkins, the former commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and Robert Greene, a visiting research fellow at the Center for Digital Financial Assets at Tsinghua University, spoke to The Capital backstage yesterday, during day two of CoinMarkCap’s […]
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