Russia Financial News

Last week, two central banks dropped public reports that can have a sizable impact on the crypto landscape in their respective countries and beyond. The U.S. Federal Reserve published a discussion paper entitled “Money and Payments: The U.S. Dollar in the Age of Digital Transformation,” which summarizes years of the Fed’s research on CBDCs. Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Russia released a report that called for a blanket ban on domestic cryptocurrency operations and mining. Both documents are framed as an invitation for public discussion, but the kinds of discussions that they will trigger are likely to be very different.

US stock benchmarks on Monday were headed significantly lower near the open, as investors braced for a Federal Reserve gathering early this week that could set the tone for the rest of 2022, amid tensions centered on Russia over the military buildup on the border with Ukraine.

A gunman is dead after injuring several people in a lecture hall at Heidelberg University in western Germany.

In 2021, the number of global crypto holders has been estimated to have increased by 3.9% to more than 300 million crypto users worldwide, with more than 18,000 businesses already accepting cryptocurrencies as payment. India is currently in the lead with 100 million users, followed by the United States with 27 million users and Russia with 17 million users.

Police in the Netherlands say they’re still not sure how a stowaway got on board a KLM flight from South Africa to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Sunday.

Bitcoin tumbled almost 9 per cent on Monday to its lowest in six months as fears of a Russian attack on Ukraine saw riskier assets worldwide extend their sell-off.

The Twitter account of the Russian crypto exchange Latoken seems to have been breached by a hacher that started posting allegations that the exchange is a scam. According to the posts, the exchange is promoting “scam IEOs” and misleading their customers. 

Russian parliamentarians, government officials and finance chiefs remain deeply divided on the issue of crypto regulation – with a leading lawmaker indicating that crypto mining could soon be legalized, alongside a state-run, gold-backed stablecoin, while backing the idea of banning crypto trading and investment. The news comes shortly after the Central Bank’s recent proposal, suggesting a ban on crypto and token mining.

The United States ordered family members of government employees at the country's embassy in Kyiv to leave amid increased fears that Russia could invade Ukraine.

Russia’s recent ban on crypto has drawn criticism from a number of big names, including Alexei Navalny’s chief of staff Leonid Volkov, and Telegram founder Pavel Durov.

Last week, Pakistan’s Sindh High Court held a hearing on the legal status of digital currencies that might lead an outright ban of cryptocurrency trading combined with penalties against crypto exchanges. Several days later, the Central Bank of Russia called for a ban on both crypto trading and mining operations. Both countries could join the growing ranks of nations that moved to outlaw digital assets, which already include China, Turkey, Iran and several other jurisdictions.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that he had "no doubts" over Germany's determination to stand up to Russia, after Berlin drew anger in Ukraine over its refusal to supply Kyiv with weapons.

Erik Thedéen, the Vice-chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority, recently recommended a ban on proof-of-work mining in the EU. Citing its impact on Sweden, he stated,

Belgian police fired water cannon and volleys of tear gas on Sunday in an attempt to disperse demonstrators in Brussels who gathered to protest against the government's COVID-19 measures and virus vaccinations.

Voters in Portugal have been casting their ballots a week ahead of the country's national elections.

Bitcoin sliding 4% and Ether down some 7% in late-afternoon US trading after an already brutal week. Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market value, traded at about $35,300 as of 4:15 p.m. It earlier touched $34,042.77, representing a loss of more than 50% from its all-time high last November. And it’s not alone: As crypto traders reacted this week hawkish signals from the Fed as well as fresh regulatory hints by the White House and the threat of an outright ban in Russia, the declines in Ether — the second-largest token — and in newer coins have outpaced Bitcoin’s fall. Over the past seven trading days, Bitcoin has shed around 20% of its value compared with nearly 30% for Ether. Solana’s SOL and DeFi-play Avalanche’s AVAX token have fallen nearly 38% each. And the wipeout in memecoins has been profound: Dogecoin is down 30% on the week while Shiba Inu is off 38%, according to CoinMarketCap.

A British former government minister has been urged to make a formal complaint after reportedly claiming that she was sacked from her job in Boris Johnson's government partly because of her Muslim faith.

From a $69,000 ATH  just last year, Bitcoin has now lost 50% of its value in the current market fall. We can see that the markets are volatile and the adoption in the sector is undeniably at its peak.

The head of the German navy resigned late Saturday after coming under fire at home and abroad for comments he made on Ukraine and Russia, that were widely circulated online.

The British government on Saturday accused Russia of seeking to replace Ukraine’s government with a pro-Moscow administration, identifying a former Ukrainian lawmaker it claims the Kremlin is considering as a potential candidate.

There was a small protest of Afghan citizens in Oslo ahead of the Taliban's visit to the Norwegian capital on Sunday.