Digital Ruble and Sanctions: Expert Analyzes Russia’s Digital Currency Plan to Evade Western Control

A Fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and former adviser at the Central Bank of Russia has weighed in on the digital ruble, Russia’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), highlighting its potential role in reshaping Russia’s financial landscape amid sanctions. While the digital currency could offer new avenues for trade and reduce reliance on … Read more

Russia in the Process of Regulating the Use of Stablecoins for Cross-Border Settlements

Russia is considering adding the subject of stablecoins to an upcoming bill, allowing them to be used officially for completing cross-border payments. Alexey Guznov, Deputy Chairman of the Bank of Russia, declared that proposals have already been presented and the issue is now being discussed. The Ministry of Finance also confirmed that this is being … Read more

Russia to Clarify Cryptocurrency Mining Gray Areas, Including Payments

Anton Siluanov, the finance minister of Russia, is prepared to discuss the gray areas surrounding cryptocurrency mining and the use of its proceeding for payments. In a recent lecture, Siluanov stated that the government needed to agree “on what can be done with cryptocurrency,” and “what cannot be done,” recognizing that the issue had been … Read more

Russia Discusses Testing Digital Ruble for Budget Payments

The Central Bank of Russia and the Russian treasury are considering testing using the Russian CBDC, the digital ruble, to complete budget settlements. The tests would involve using this CBDC to make payments to businesses and citizens and receiving payments from these in CBDC, to ensure the targeted use of these funds. Russian Digital Ruble … Read more

Household Crypto Holdings Included in Bank of Russia’s Consumer Finance Survey

The Central Bank of Russia has added crypto asset holdings of households to its survey of consumer finances. The statistics reveal that Russian families keep more money in cryptocurrency wallets than in gold investment accounts or mutual funds. Russia’s Central Bank Evaluates Cryptocurrency Holdings of Russian Households The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (CBR) … Read more

No Developed Nation Bans Cryptocurrencies, Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Warns Russia

Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging app Telegram, has criticized Bank of Russia’s proposal to impose a blanket ban on a range of crypto-related activities. Such move would stifle high-tech development and chase away blockchain specialists, Durov says. Durov Speaks Out Against Bank of Russia Push for Crypto Ban The cryptocurrency ban proposed by the … Read more

Russian Banks Begin Testing Digital Ruble Payments

Banks in Russia are preparing to dive into the pilot phase of the digital ruble project and some are already testing transactions with the currency. Trials have started with customer-to-customer (C2C) payments and Bank of Russia plans to expand the types of operations in the future. Digital Ruble Pilot Launches With 12 Participating Banks The … Read more

Bank of Russia Has Tools to Restrict Crypto Investments, Governor Hints

The Central Bank of Russia has reaffirmed its opposition to cryptocurrency investments citing the volatility of the digital assets as a key motive for its conservative stance. Governor Elvira Nabiullina has recently indicated that the regulator has the means to restrict them. Nabiullina Insists Bank of Russia Can Limit Investments in Crypto Assets Russia’s monetary … Read more