Russia’s Sberbank to Allow Users to Issue NFTs on Its Blockchain Platform

Recognizing existing demand for non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, one of the largest banks in Russia, Sberbank, now intends to allow users to issue them on its blockchain platform. The financial institution also plans to cooperate with art sites and galleries across…

Lawyer of Alleged Crypto Launderer Vinnik Calls on Russia to Talk Prisoner Swap With US

A lawyer representing Russian IT specialist Alexander Vinnik has urged the government in Moscow to discuss a potential exchange of prisoners with the United States, where he was recently extradited. The French legal expert is convinced only a return to his…

Russia Can’t Do Without Cross-Border Crypto Payments, Consensus Reached

Key government institutions have agreed that Russia needs to legalize crypto payments for international settlements. The proposal has been gaining support in the past few months since Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine was met with wave after wave of Western sanctions….

Russian Arrested for Defrauding Buyers of Mining Hardware Worth Over $300,000

Police in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan have detained a man accused of defrauding people who wanted to purchase crypto miners. Law enforcement officials say the suspect made millions of rubles through fictitious sales of mining devices to Russian citizens…

‘No Middle Class Left,’ ‘Millions Will Be Wiped Out’ — Two Market Crash Predictions, Gas Cartels, and Whales Moving Mt Gox Coins: Bitcoin.com News Week in Review

In this week’s Bitcoin.com News Week in Review, one market strategist issues a dire warning about the U.S. economy and a large market crash that could cause a “50 to 60 percent haircut” in stocks. Further, the Russian government is reportedly…

Hackers Offer to Sell Belarus President Lukashenko’s Passport as NFT

Anti-government hackers have attempted to sell what they say is an NFT of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko’s passport. The members of the ‘Belarusian Cyber Partisans’ collective claim to have obtained the passport data of all of the country’s citizens. Cyber Guerrillas…

Bank of Russia Eases Restrictions on Purchases of Dollar and Euro Cash

The Central Bank of Russia has relaxed some limitations for Russian banks selling U.S. dollars and euros to the public. The increased supply of foreign cash may affect the crypto market in the country as currency restrictions have been a driver…

Moscow Exchange Prepares to List Digital Financial Assets by Year End

Russia’s largest market for equities, bonds, and derivatives, the Moscow Exchange, intends to launch a product based on digital financial assets by the end of the year, an executive has revealed. The trading platform is already working with a partner to…

Electricity Consumption of Russian Crypto Miners Spikes 20 Times in 5 Years, Research Finds

Power needs of cryptocurrency miners in Russia have grown significantly since 2017, with consumption of electrical energy seeing a 20-fold increase over the five-year period. In 2021, the minting of the coin with the largest market cap, bitcoin, required 1.25 gigawatts…

Chainalysis Report Says $2.2 Million in Crypto Has Been Sent to Pro-Russian Groups in Ukraine

According to a report stemming from the blockchain intelligence company Chainalysis, the firm identified 54 pro-Russian groups that have “collectively received over $2.2 million worth of cryptocurrency.” The paramilitary groups in Ukraine primarily received bitcoin and ether donations but also got…