ECB Chief: Cryptocurrencies Are ‘Certainly’ Being Used to Circumvent Russian Sanctions

ECB Chief: Cryptocurrencies Are 'Certainly' Being Used to Circumvent Russian Sanctions

The European Central Bank (EKP) warns cryptocurrencies are being used to evade sanctions by Russians. ECB President Christine Lagarde warns crypto firms against becomingaccomplicesin the crime.

ECB President Lagarde Is Certain About Crypto Being Used to Evade Russian Sanctions

Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank (EKP), said Tuesday at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Summit that cryptocurrencies arecertainlybeing used by Russian firms and individuals to bypass sanctions. A growing number of countries have levied heavy sanctions against Russian entities after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

Expressing concerns over cryptos continued use, the ECB chief said:

They are certainly being used as a way to try to circumvent the sanctions that have been decided by many countries around the world against Russia.

A specific number of players, either individuals or corporates, are obviously trying to convert their rubles into crypto assets,” she added, noting that there are rising volumes of transactions going from the ruble to stablecoins and from stablecoins to other digital assets.

The ECB president proceeded to warn crypto firms against becoming accomplices in the crime, stating that in Europe:

We have taken steps to clearly signal to all those who are exchanging, transacting, offering services in relation to crypto assets that they are being accomplices to circumvent sanctions.

While Lagarde is certain about cryptocurrency being used to evade Russian sanctions, many experts have said that crypto is not an effective tool for this purpose, including the CEOs of blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis and crypto exchange Mündi alus.

Lisaks, a senior official with the U.S. Rahandusosakond ütles last week that cryptocurrency could not be used in a large-scale way to evade sanctions. FBI Director Christopher Wray similarly ütles that Russias ability to circumvent sanctions with cryptocurrency ishighly overestimated.Carol House, the director of cybersecurity for the National Security Council, also said that crypto is an ineffective tool for circumventing sanctions.

Kuid, Lagarde is not the only one who is worried about cryptocurrency being used to bypass sanctions. In the U.S., Senator Elizabeth Warren is deeply concerned; she introduced a crypto sanctions compliance bill last week that has been described by an industry expert asunnecessary, overbroad, and unconstitutional.

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