all about cryptop referances
Russian companies can start trading in cryptocurrency with partners abroad as early as next year and will be free to choose the coin they want to use, officials in Moscow have indicated. The sanctioned country is preparing to legalize foreign trade settlements of digital assets, and this could happen in the coming months.
Russia can approve cross-border crypto settlements with the law “On Digital Currency” which was presented by the Ministry of Finance in February this year and has been supported by the government. Russian lawmakers are expected to consider it during the fall session of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
Ivan Chebeskov, director of the ministry’s financial stability department, has been quoted as saying that the draft includes a provision on international transactions of digital assets. It recognizes cryptocurrency as property that can be used in barter. At the same time, the official did not rule out the adoption of a dedicated law specifically regulating cross-border crypto payments.
“We have a number of legislative initiatives that we are working on, which have not yet been formally presented to the government. Therefore, there may be different options for how this can be implemented, Chebeskov told the Izvestia newspaper, noting that the initiative could come from deputies. He added that it is quite realistic to expect to see international crypto transactions in 2023.
One of the legislators involved in this work, the head of the parliamentary financial market committee Anatoly Aksakov, admitted in a conversation with the newspaper that he was ready to sponsor legislation regulating the matter. He further elaborated that Russian businesses will be able to choose which cryptocurrency they want to trade with – bitcoin, ethereum or something else.
However, he insisted that Russia must create its own crypto infrastructure, stressing that participants should only enter the crypto market through it, and under strict regulatory control. Aksakov admitted that the country currently does not have this infrastructure, but said that the stock exchanges in Moscow and St. Petersburg are ready to provide it. He was also positive that international transactions with crypto may begin next year.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Economy revealed that it is working with the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Russia on the issue of the use of digital currency in foreign trade. Its representatives assured that the department supports this approach as it has the potential to reduce the pressure of sanctions, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises that have difficulties in making international payments.
Russia has been trying to find a way around expanding economic restrictions imposed by Western governments over its military invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The Ministry of Finance and the central bank recently agreed that the country cannot do without cross-border settlements in cryptocurrency. The monetary authority, a strong opponent of allowing the free circulation of bitcoin and the like, emphasized that there is no question of legalizing crypto as a means of payment inside the country.
Do you think Russia will legalize international crypto payments by the end of the year? Tell us in the comments section below.
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