Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law preventing the use of digital assets as a means of payment According to the explanatory note on the draft law, the bill prevents “the use of digital financial assets… as a means of payment.” Specifically, it establishes a direct ban on the “transfer or acceptance of” digital financial assets as compensation for work, goods, or services. The note reinforces the primacy of the ruble as Russia’s official monetary unit.  “This article…

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, spoke out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian-Canadian crypto guru said he is "very upset" with Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, and his "special military operation." In a recent tweet, Buterin said: This is a crime against the Ukrainian and Russian people. I want to wish everyone safety and security, even though I know there won’t be. He further underlined his point of view, which is different from that of the blockchain network…

Key Russian financial authorities have radically different views on crypto regulation. On Wednesday, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov voiced his opposition to the Bank of Russia's harsh stance on crypto. In a letter to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, said that the country should regulate, rather than ban cryptos. He also said that crypto regulation would bring in an additional $2.3 billion in taxes to Russia. To make regulation more effective, he suggested allowing banks to provide exchange services. This would allow licensed…

Vladimir Putin isn’t as hawkish on cryptocurrencies as his nation’s Central Bank authorities. The Russian president recently stated that Bitcoin mining could be “advantageous” to Russia, casting doubt on any ban-like approaches to the sector. Internal Division Putin aired his thoughts on the matter in a government meeting on Wednesday. He began the discussion by addressing the regulation of cryptocurrencies, which he called an “issue in the spotlight”. “We have certain competitive advantages here, especially in the so-called mining,” he…