Despite Russia pushing the idea of using cryptocurrencies for cross-border payments, it still remains unclear what digital asset exactly the government plans to adopt for such transactions. Russian authorities are quite unlikely to approve the use of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) for cross-border transactions, according to local lawyers and fintech executives. Bank of Russia needs to control cross-border transactions It’s “highly questionable” that Russia would allow usage of Bitcoin or any other similar cryptocurrency for cross-border payments because such assets are “hard to control,” according to Elena Klyuchareva, the senior associate at the local law firm KKMP. Klyuchareva emphasized that …

Kazakhstan is ready to legalize a mechanism for converting cryptocurrencies to cash if there is demand, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, per local news agency Informburo on Sept. 28. Speaking at the international forum Digital Bridge 2022, Tokayev emphasized that Kazakhstan aims to become an international leader in the field of digital technology, cryptocurrency ecosystem and regulated mining. He noted that the government of Kazakhstan has drafted amendments in national law to pilot a mechanism for converting crypto at the Astana International Financial Centre. “We are ready to go further. If this financial instrument shows its further relevance and security, it …

Russia is in the pilot phase of its central bank digital currency development (CBDC), and new reports indicate that the country could use its national digital currency to settle international trade. According to a report published in Reuters, Russia is reportedly planning to use the digital rouble for mutual settlements with China by next year. The digital rouble is currently being tested for settling with the banks and is expected to be completed by early next year. The United States Treasury Department added 22 individuals and two Russia-based entities to the sanction list in the third week of September. With …

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly granted citizenship to United States National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, who had been residing in the country since 2013. According to a Monday report from Reuters, Putin signed a decree effectively changing Snowden’s legal status in Russia from a permanent resident to citizen. The NSA whistleblower has been in exile from the U.S. following him leaking thousands of classified documents to journalists, but continued to speak on issues including national security in addition to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. While Putin has taken legislative action in Russia seeming to curtail the use of crypto — …

The Bank of Russia and the country’s Ministry of Finance have reportedly reached an agreement allowing cross-border settlements in cryptocurrencies. According to a Thursday report from the Russia-based publication Kommersant, Russia’s deputy finance minister Alexei Moiseev said the government department has agreed “on the whole” with the central bank over a rule that would let residents send cross-border payments using cryptocurrencies. The proposed policy change was reportedly aimed at allowing Russian nationals access to digital wallets. “[The policy] generally describes how to acquire cryptocurrency, what can be done with it, and how it can or cannot be settled with it …

A new bill demanding a congressional notification prior to payments of the United States Department of State (DOS) rewards using cryptocurrencies surfaced as the U.S. Congress raised concerns about the evasion of sanctions. The Rewards for Justice Program, a counterterrorism rewards program run by the Secretary of State, offers rewards for information that prevents international terrorism. Citing examples of Russia and Belarus as previously sanctioned regimes that have used cryptocurrencies to circumvent sanctions, the bill H. R. 7338 demands that: “The Secretary of State shall notify the appropriate congressional committees not later than 15 days before paying out a reward …

The United States Department of the Treasury added five cryptocurrency addresses tied to a neo-Nazi group involved in Russia’s war on Ukraine to list of entities sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Asset Control. In a Thursday notice, the U.S. Treasury designated 22 individuals and 2 entities, including many the government department claimed had furthered the Russian government’s objectives in Ukraine, to its list of Specially Designated Nationals, effectively barring U.S. persons and companies from dealing with them. Included in sanctions of one of the entities — a neo-Nazi paramilitary group called Task Force Rusich — were 2 cryptocurrency addresses …

The legal team for Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national recently extradited to the United States for his alleged role at defunct crypto exchange BTC-e, has reportedly been urging officials to consider a prisoner swap. According to a Monday report from Reuters, a lawyer representing Vinnik called on Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov to conduct negotiations with U.S. officials in order to bring the accused Bitcoin (BTC) launderer back to his home country. Russian authorities currently have several U.S. citizens in custody under questionable charges, including basketball star Brittney Griner, educator Marc Hilliard Fogel, and Paul Whelan, a former Marine detained …

Russia's Finance Ministry has reportedly begun working with governments in “friendly” nations to establish a cross-border stablecoin-based payments platform. According to a Tuesday report from Russia state-owned news agency TASS, deputy finance minister Alexey Moiseev said the government was looking to create the settlement platform in an effort to avoid the use of U.S. dollars and euros. The finance minister reportedly said the Russian government would need to impose additional regulations to enact the platform between itself and friendly nations — possibly including China, Belarus, and North Korea. “We offer mutually acceptable tokenized instruments that will be used on these …

The Bank of Russia, the country’s central bank, has reportedly admitted that cross-border payments in crypto are inevitable in the current geopolitical conditions. The Russian central bank has been rethinking the approach to regulating crypto and agreed with the finance ministry to legalize crypto for cross-border payments, the local news agency TASS reported on Sept. 5. Deputy finance minister Alexei Moiseev reportedly said that the Bank of Russia and the finance ministry expect to legitimize cross-border payments in crypto soon. Moiseev outlined the importance of enabling local crypto services in Russia, noting that many Russians rely on foreign platforms to …

A group of hacktivists called the Belarusian Cyber Partisans have been attempting to sell a nonfungible token (NFT) featuring the purported passport info of Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarusian Cyber Partisans say the move is part of a grassroots fundraising campaign to fight “bloody regimes in Minsk and Moscow.” The members claim to have hacked into a government database that has the passport info of every Belarusian citizen, allowing them to launch an NFT collection called "Belarisuan Passports," which includes a digital passport that supposedly features Lukashenko’s actual information. 1/3For the 1st time in human history a #hacktivist collective …

Georgia, one of the world’s most cryptocurrency-friendly countries, is moving to introduce new crypto regulations to pursue its ambitions to become a global crypto hub. Georgian lawmakers have prepared a new regulatory framework targeting digital business and cryptocurrency trading in the country, Georgian Minister of Economy and Vice Prime Minister Levan Davitashvili announced. Davitashvili said that a draft bill has been sent to the parliament and the amendments are expected to be passed in the autumn session, local news agency Business Media Georgia reported on Monday. According to the minister, the draft bill aims to coordinate local cryptocurrency laws with …