The leading US-based cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, has decided to block access to more than 25,000 addresses related to Russian individuals who are supposedly engaging in illegal activities. Coinbase Blocks 25K Russian Addresses According to an official blog post from today – March 7th, 2022 – the leading US-based cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, has blocked “over 25,000...Read More
Binance has just donated to help the children of Ukraine in their country’s ongoing war against Russia, joining a growing wave of individuals within the crypto ecosystem who are giving money and taking a stand for the country’s struggle. Binance Charity, the non-profit charitable arm of Binance, announced a $2.5 million cryptocurrency donation to UNICEF....Read More
Visa and Mastercard joined the growing list of western financial companies that announced plans to withdraw from Russia. Looking for alternatives, the nation’s central bank said it has turned to China’s UnionPay system. President Vladimir Putin launched a “special military operation” against Ukraine less than two weeks ago, which still continues until this day with...Read More
Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal joined the massive number of companies leaving Russia following Putin’s “special military operation” against Ukraine. As such, the question remains if Russians will turn to cryptocurrencies. Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal Leave Russia Ever since the war started between the two former Soviet states, the Western world has taken a different approach...Read More
The typically neutral country has joined the EU and the US in imposing financial sanctions against Russians following the war started by President Putin. Moreover, the nation’s authorities have also gone after their cryptocurrency holdings within Switzerland’s borders. Ever since Putin launched its “special military operation” against Ukraine, which turned out to be an all-out...Read More
Sanctions from the West have been hitting Russia’s economy hard. But Japan’s financial regulator and the country’s industry body for cryptocurrencies is now looking to ensure that these sanctions are carried out effectively. It aims to do so by plugging loopholes and restricting the transfer of digital assets of individuals and entities on the nation’s...Read More
Coinbase has joined the list of cryptocurrency exchanges that do not plan to block Russia-based users from accessing their services. The company’s CEO believes that oligarchs won’t be able to use digital assets, while many ordinary Russians could buy crypto while their national currency tumbles. Coinbase Won’t Ban Russia-based Clients With Russia’s President launching a...Read More
Some of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea reportedly joined the growing number of global sanctions against Putin’s regime by blocking IP addresses from Russia. Among those trading venues are Upbit, Gopax, Bithumb, and Korbit. South Korea’s Sanctions to Russia The list of embargoes imposed on Russia keeps enlarging as the latest example came...Read More
The Department of Financial Services (DFS) will use blockchain analytics technology to build strengthen the enforcement of the sanctions against Russia. Specifically, the effort will be to detect if Russian individuals try to bypass the imposed penalties. Blockchain Technology to Help Monitor Sanction Enforcement The Department of Financial Services oversees numerous key programs and initiatives...Read More
Legacy investor, fund manager, and philanthropist Bill Miller believes that the financial sanctions imposed on Russia could cause bitcoin’s price to soar. He pointed out that gold is the only reserve asset the largest country by landmass controls on its own, meaning that BTC might gain traction in the days to come. BTC’s Surge Following...Read More
The government of Ukraine announced it will airdrop cryptocurrencies donated to the nation’s official wallet. Companies, non-governmental organizations, and individuals have already contributed over $30 million worth of digital assets to the country amid its ongoing war with Russia. Ukraine Has a Date for its Crypto Airdrop A few days after the launch of Russia’s...Read More
The Russia-Ukraine crisis is far from cooling down anytime soon. In the thick of the ongoing chaos, the CEO and founder of the digital currency company Circle – Jeremy Allaire – asserted that crypto is a double-edged sword. In the Face of Crisis The cryptocurrency market is rallying in the face of a growing geopolitical...Read More
Jerome Powell – Chairman of the Federal Reserve – recently testified in front of the House Financial Services Committee on the state of the economy, and future monetary policy. Given the various sanctions placed on Russia during its conflict with Ukraine, he said the conflict “underscores” the need for crypto regulation that he’s advocated for...Read More
Mike Novogratz, CEO of digital assets company Galaxy Investment Partners, predicted that the Russia-Ukraine war will boost crypto adoption and lead to the marginalization of the dollar. “This is a big deal, in a lot of ways. This is starting the acceleration of de-dollarization of the world,” he commented. The billionaire American investment banker made...Read More
Cryptocurrency has played a major role in the geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine. While the latter is receiving bitcoin donations from across the world, there are concerns that Russia could use digital assets to mitigate growing sanctions. Russia Faces Global Sanctions These concerns come off the back of recent strict economic sanctions imposed on...Read More
As a result of the economic sanctions against Russia, the largest financial institution in the country – Sberbank – will reportedly withdraw from the European market. The organization said its subsidiaries spread around Europe face large cash outflows while the safety of its employees is threatened. Interestingly, Sberbank is one of the Russian banks that...Read More
The notorious hacker organization – Anonymous – has reportedly offered Russian troops payments in bitcoin to hand over their tanks. The group would pay more than $52,000 in BTC for each surrendered combat vehicle. BTC in Exchange for a Tank The Ukrainian side has been trying to stop the Russian invasion not only by weapons...Read More
Bitcoin trading volumes against the Russian ruble reportedly soared to the highest level in almost a year. At the same time, those employing Ukraine’s hryvnia reached October 2021 heights. The Result of the Embargoes? NATO and the EU are still standing away from a direct military conflict and vowed not to send troops to Ukraine....Read More
The world’s leading digital asset exchange – Binance – does not intend to freeze the accounts of Russian-based individuals, a spokesman for the platform revealed. He further argued that “crypto is meant to provide greater financial freedom,” and such a move could oppose the concept of the industry. In-Line With Kraken Russia’s “special military operation”...Read More
Crypto has emerged as the method of choice for fundraising and donations as it offers a number of advantages over banks and traditional methods of money transfer which are slow, expensive, and often restricted and monitored. The Ukrainian government has called upon the crypto community to pledge support in a series of appeals on social...Read More
Mykhailo Fedorov – Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine – has called on crypto exchanges to freeze all Russian users’ blockchain addresses to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s invasion. In a tweet on Sunday, Fedorov emphasized the importance of both cutting off crypto access to Russian and Belarusian politicians, as well as “sabotaging ordinary users”....Read More
The White House, alongside the European Commission, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy, announced in the late hours of Saturday evening that they would be expelling certain Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system. In a joint statement, the parties wrote that: “This will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial...Read More
ApplePay – Apple’s digital wallet service – is no longer providing support to Russian banks following sanctions from the United States and its western allies. Applications from Promsvyabank – a state-backed Russian bank – have also been removed from the App Store. Sanctioning Russia Apple’s removal of Russian financial services was reported by Russian news...Read More
The fifth-largest Ethereum mining pool – Flexpool – announced it will no longer provide services to customers in Russia. By doing so, the entity opposed Putin’s military operation and showed solidarity with Ukraine. The mining company became the first in its field to halt its endeavors on Russian soil. This comes a day after the...Read More
According to Elliptic data, people have donated $400,000 worth of Bitcoin to the Ukrainian nongovernmental organization – Come Back Alive. The latter provides military equipment, medical supplies, and training services to the local army. In addition, today (February 25), a mysterious contributor donated 80 BTC to a charity organization supporting the Ukrainian army. Calculated at...Read More
The Russian Ministry of Finance reportedly presented its draft legislation on digital asset regulations. The institution called upon enhanced protection rules and set a limit on annual cryptocurrency investments. The Latest Update Russia’s top authorities are still far from reaching a unanimous decision on how to approach the local cryptocurrency market. The Bank of Russia...Read More
The Russian Finance Ministry introduced public notices and said they started developing a comprehensive regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency industry. During the discussions, citizens and financial market players will be able to give their proposals on the matter. What Has Happened so Far? Ever since the start of 2022, Russia’s top authorities haven’t been able...Read More
Despite Vladimir Putin’s request, the Bank of Russia and the Finance Ministry did not shake hands on a single solution regarding cryptocurrency regulations. While some reports indicated that the largest country by landmass will not ban digital assets, it is still uncertain what legislation it will impose. No Resolution After the Meeting The central bank...Read More
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has reportedly taken down four major illegal Dark Web sites, which have made over $260 million in cryptocurrency proceeds from the sale of stolen credit cards. Those platforms are Ferum Shop, Trump’s Dumps, Sky-Fraud forum, and UAS Store. The Latest Seizures Known as “carding” websites, these illicit platforms offer...Read More
A recent estimate by the Russian government has revealed that locals currently own more than 16.5 trillion rubles ($214 billion) worth of cryptocurrencies. Russians Control 12% of Crypto Market According to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday, this figure represents approximately 12% of the total value of global crypto holdings or one-third of the market cap...Read More
