Putin Opponent Received 25% of Campaign Donations in Bitcoin

Alexei Navalny, one of the major opposition politicians who ran against current Russian President Vladimir Putin this year, raised more than 25 percent of his campaign donations in bitcoin. 100,000 Donors, $6 Million During the 2018 Russian presidential election, analysts predicted a landslide victory for Putin and for him to be re-elected with the support of … Read more

Security Firms Offer Protection for Crypto Traders in Moscow

Private security firms in Moscow are offering a new service – protection for people buying and selling cryptocurrency for cash. The companies have also expressed readiness to help investigate crypto-related crimes. Police are still reluctant to work on such cases, as cryptocurrencies are not yet regulated in Russia. Also read: Chinese Merchants in Moscow Convert … Read more

Myetherwallet Servers Are Hijacked in DNS Attack

Myetherwallet (MEW), the web’s most popular client-side ethereum wallet, has been compromised by a DNS attack. Numerous users are reporting missing funds and Mycrypto, a sister site which spun off from MEW earlier this year, has confirmed as much. The incident highlights the dangers of relying on a centralized interface, even when the funds are … Read more

Bitcoin in Brief Tuesday: Wary Giants, Eager Dwarfs

For some obvious reasons, but also irrational fears, big players like China, Russia, and the European Union are wary of cryptos like bitcoin. Centralized control doesn’t square with decentralization. However, often that’s not how their own regions and smaller neighbors feel about cryptocurrencies. In today’s Bitcoin in Brief we cover some recent developments mirroring this … Read more

Half of the ICO Money in Russia Went to Pyramids

Russian ICOs attracted a total of $300 million last year but half of the funds went to financial pyramids, according to the Russian Association of Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain. The organization that represents the crypto community in the country is now working on an ICO standard to help investors distinguish real projects from fraudulent schemes. Russian … Read more

Russian Government Concerned Crypto Bill Inadequate in Many Ways

The Russian government has officially provided a response to the bill that seeks to outline the legal framework for cryptocurrencies. Many flaws and inadequacies were pointed out including unjustified restrictions on Russian residents and foreign investors. Also read: Russian Regulators Draft Law to Restrict Crypto Mining, Payments, and Token Sales Response to Crypto Bill The Russian … Read more

Telegram Urges Paper Airplane Protest, Pussy Riot Activist Arrested

After a Russian court enacted an immediate ban on the popular encrypted messaging service Telegram, the feisty company began to resist. Founder Pavel Durov insisted there were ways around the prohibition, including proxies and VPNs. It appears to have had some success even though millions of IP addresses have been blocked by the government. In … Read more

Survey: 89% of Visa, Mastercard, Unionpay Users Know Crypto – 53% Have Purchased

A global study of cryptocurrency purchases made by users of Visa, Mastercard, and Unionpay cards shows that 89% of respondents are knowledgeable about crypto and 53% have purchased some in the past 12 months. Also read: Yahoo! Japan Confirms Entrance Into the Crypto Space A Global Study Global payment service provider Worldcore reportedly conducted a study … Read more

Russia’s Supreme Court Overturns Decision to Block Bitcoin Website

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has struck down the ban imposed on the Bitcoininfo.ru portal. The outlet is one several dozens of crypto-related websites that have been taken offline by the Russian authorities in the past few years. The decision sets a precedent which and is likely to determine the faith of many … Read more