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Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin Push for Increased Settlements in National Currencies
5.7.2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have pushed for the increased use of national currencies in mutual settlements as more countries shift away from the U.S. dollar. “I consider it essential to increase the share of settlements in national currencies”...
Russians Turned to Tether During Wagner Revolt
27.6.2023
Russian citizens sought refuge in tether amid the brief mutiny of the Wagner mercenary group that shook their country. The ruble-denominated trading volume of the U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin spiked during the short-lived rebellion, market data revealed. Russians Traded Millions of Dollars’...
Latam Insights — IMF States Latam’s CBDC Interest Rises, Lula Emphasizes Bretton Woods Institutions ‘No Longer Function’
26.6.2023
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of Latin America’s most relevant crypto and economic news during the last week. In this issue, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports interest in central bank digital currencies (CBDC) in Latam and the Caribbean is picking up, Lula criticizes...
Venezuela to Integrate Russian Mir Payments System in De-Dollarization Push
24.6.2023
The government of Venezuela has announced that it is currently working to integrate Mir, a Russian electronic card and transfer payments system. President Nicolas Maduro backed this integration, stating that this move is part of a de-dollarization push. More than 40,000 payment terminals are being...
Russian Who Sent Crypto to Ukrainian Army to Face Treason Charges
22.6.2023
A Russian citizen has been arrested for allegedly sending crypto to Ukraine’s armed forces – and will be tried on treason charges.
The Russian news agency Tass reported that the (unnamed) citizen is a resident of the Far Eastern territory of Khabarovsk Krai, across the sea from Japan.
The citizen...
Russian President Putin Discusses End of US Dollar Dominance — Claims Russia Has No De-Dollarization Plan
18.6.2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the end of the U.S. dollar dominance, claiming that Russia has nothing to do with the USD’s downfall. “We have never had and do not have the goal of de-dollarization,” Putin also stressed, highlighting global trends that could lead to the end of...
Russia to Trial Digital Asset Settlements in Foreign Trade
17.6.2023
Bank of Russia plans to pilot cross-border payments using digital assets and central bank digital currencies, according to a deputy governor. The top executive believes these alternative instruments could increase efficiency in foreign trade while such settlements will not be permitted inside...
France’s Macron Hopes to Attend BRICS Summit in South Africa, Report
16.6.2023
French President Emmanuel Macron wants to join the leaders of the BRICS nations when they meet in August, according to a press report. While his participation in the multipolar bloc’s summit is uncertain, Macron has already scheduled another summit in Paris to discuss the establishment of...
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Pro Dies In Russia-Ukraine War
15.6.2023
The war between Russia and Ukraine, which began in 2014 but ramped up in February 2022 as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has claimed yet another life. 21-year-old Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Ostap “0ni” Onistrat was reportedly killed in action defending his home country...
Russian and Iranian Crypto Sectors in Cooperation Talks
12.6.2023
Russian and Iranian crypto and fintech industry group leaders have discussed ways the nations could use tokens to evade sanctions and facilitate trade.
The talks were held at a summit in Tehran named the International Exhibition of Financial Industries.
A panel discussion on crypto adoption...
Russian Banker Predicts End of Dollar Dominance as Global Power Shifts
11.6.2023
Russia’s second-largest bank’s chairman has predicted the end of U.S. dollar dominance. He believes that the Chinese yuan will replace the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency. “I think that the time has come when China will gradually remove currency restrictions,” he noted, adding that...
Russia’s Largest Bank to Allow Retail Investors to Trade Digital Assets
10.6.2023
Majority state-owned lender Sberbank is preparing to allow Russian citizens to buy and sell digital assets. Private individuals will be provided access to its proprietary blockchain platform as early as this month, a top executive of the bank announced. Sberbank to Open Digital Assets Platform...
Two Russians Charged for Infiltrating Mt Gox and Operating Illicit Crypto Exchange, BTC-e
9.6.2023
In a statement issued on Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that two Russian individuals have been accused of infiltrating a cryptocurrency exchange and running an unlawful exchange. Reportedly, the pair gained unauthorized access to Mt Gox’s servers from 2011 to 2014...
US Justice Department Charges Two Russian Nationals With Stealing Thousands of Bitcoin Linked to Mt. Gox
9.6.2023
The US Department of Justice unsealed charges against Russian nationals Alexey Bilyuchenko and Aleksandr Verner, for allegedly stealing thousands of bitcoin from the Mt.Gox crypto exchange back in 2011 to 2014.
Bilyuchenko, 43, and Verner, 29, were charged on Friday in the Southern District...
Mt. Gox's Hackers Are 2 Russian Nationals, U.S. DOJ Alleges in Indictment
9.6.2023
The U.S. Department of Justice charged Russian nationals Alexey Bilyuchenko and Aleksandr Verner with hacking Mt. Gox in 2011, at the time one of the biggest thefts in the crypto industry
Russian Finance Minister Talks Dollar Attack on Russia, Importance of Developing Alternatives for Settlements
7.6.2023
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has given his opinion on the perceived attack the Russian economy has been receiving from the U.S. dollar, and how the country has moved to keep trade going. Siluanov also remarked on the importance of developing settlements in national currencies. Russian...
Russian Investigator Took Over 1,000 BTC in Bribe Money From Hackers, Report
7.6.2023
An investigator working in Moscow has been caught with a record-breaking bribe paid by a hacking group in cryptocurrency. According to a Russian press report, the corrupt official accepted millions of dollars’ worth of bitcoin and saved the digital money for his retirement years....
Russian Prosecutors to Gain Crypto Confiscation Powers – But There’s a Wrinkle
7.6.2023
The Russian Prosecutor-General is set to let investigators confiscate crypto and liquidate criminals’ tokens, with the Treasury hoping to benefit.
But legal experts say the plan could hit a roadblock when prosecutors try to liquidate coins.
The media outlet Vedemosti first reported on...
Russian P2P Crypto Market Is ‘Worth $296m a Day’ – Are Banks in Danger?
6.6.2023
The Russian P2P (peer-to-peer) crypto market is growing at a rapid pace, with a report claiming vendors can access “$296 million” worth of trades per day.
Per RB, the claim was made by Schard, a cryptoasset security platform, at a blockchain conference operated by the Russian banking giant Sber....
Russian Official Under Fire for Allegedly Accepting $28 Million Bitcoin Bribe
5.6.2023
The local media outlet, Kommersant, reported details of the highest bribery case in recent years, where an officer received a bribe worth millions of dollars in Bitcoin.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation and the Prosecutor General's Office discovered the bribery incident....