Skip to main content

Russia’s Financial Watchdog Investigates 400 Crypto-Related Cases, Director Tells Putin

Russia’s Financial Watchdog Investigates 400 Crypto-Related Cases, Director Tells Putin

Rosfinmonitoring is conducting hundreds of investigations into cases involving cryptocurrencies, the head of the agency announced. Hundreds of thousands of Russians take part in crypto deals abroad, the top regulator also reported to the Russian president.

Russian Authorities Initiate 20 Criminal Cases Linked to Crypto Assets

The Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation, also known as Rosfinmonitoring, is trying to unravel around 400 cases in which cryptocurrencies are involved. The agency’s director, Yury Chikhanchin, revealed the number during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

The financial watchdog is working on them together with representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) and the Federal Security Service (FSB), the high-ranking official noted. Law enforcement authorities have already initiated 20 criminal cases related to digital assets, he also said.

Commenting on the volume of the crypto turnover registered by his department, Chikhanchin acknowledged that Russians continue to actively use cryptocurrency platforms based outside of the country. He elaborated:

This phenomenon continues to exist. And only on two foreign sites, two exchanges, several hundred thousand Russian citizens participate in transactions worth tens of billions.

Quoted by the crypto outlet of Russian business news portal RBC, the regulator pointed out that these are not only settlements or investment deals. Yury Chikhanchin is convinced that some of these transfers are related to crime.

According to official data released earlier this year, the number of court cases relating to cryptocurrency or crypto mining in Russia has exceeded 1,500 in 2021. Of them, 62% were criminal cases, mostly related to drug trafficking. The numbers represent a 40-percent annual increase.

Russia is yet to fully regulate its crypto space with a law “On Digital Currency” that lawmakers are expected to review during the fall session of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. While most intuitions in Moscow agree that the ruble should remain the only legal tender in the country, officials are exploring the option to allow crypto payments for small settlements in international trade.

Do you expect investigated cases involving crypto assets to increase or decrease after Russia adopts comprehensive regulations? Tell us in the comments section below.



from Bitcoin News https://ift.tt/YSgJWt1

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mt Gox Creditors Updated, Trustee Says Rehabilitation Custodian Is ‘Currently Preparing to Make Repayments’

On August 31, 2022, the Mt Gox trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi explained in a recent letter that the rehabilitation custodian is “currently preparing to make repayments” to Mt Gox creditors. Trustee Updates Mt Gox Creditors — Repayment Date and Exchange Still Unknown Last week speculation and rumors concerning the release of 140K bitcoin ( BTC ) from Mt Gox littered social media platforms and headlines. Bitcoin.com News covered the situation six days ago as a number of people and Mt Gox creditors called the rumors “ fake news .” During that same period of time, a bitcoin whale transferred 10,000 BTC to unknown wallets, and a 2018 annotation , heuristics, and clustering methods show the funds likely originated from the June 2011 Mt Gox hacks. Following the mysterious whale transfer, last Wednesday, Mt Gox published an official update from the court trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi that explains the court is “currently preparing to make repayments” to creditors. Mt Gox creditors have been wait...

Fidelity Discusses Bitcoin as Portfolio Insurance — Could Soon Stand in ‘Stark Contrast’ to Path Fiat Currencies Take

Fidelity Digital Assets, a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments, says that bitcoin could be considered portfolio insurance. The firm notes that the cryptocurrency “may soon stand in stark contrast to the path that the rest of the world and fiat currencies may take — namely the path of increased supply, additional currency creation, and central bank balance sheet expansion.” Fidelity Says Bitcoin Could Be Portfolio Insurance Fidelity Digital Assets, a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments, recently published a research study titled “The Rising Dollar and Bitcoin.” The research outlines “how bitcoin could be considered portfolio insurance” as the rising dollar impacts global currency markets. “The strengthening U.S. dollar is wreaking havoc among other countries and may put pressure on the Federal Reserve to soon reverse its tightening monetary actions, something that has precedent based on 1985’s Plaza Accord,” Fidelity explained. In addition, “more monetary debasement may be needed to ...

Economists Discuss Russia, China Potentially Developing Gold-Backed Currency That Could Undermine US Dollar

Economists have weighed in on reports that China and Russia may be developing a new gold-backed currency that could undermine the U.S. dollar’s status as the world’s primary reserve currency. Russia and China May Be Developing Gold-Backed Currency Several experts have shared their views on Russia and China potentially creating a new gold-baked currency, Fox Business reported Saturday, emphasizing that China has been buying up huge quantities of gold while Russia was forced off the U.S. dollar due to sanctions imposed on the country following its invasion of Ukraine. The news outlet noted that some experts have cautioned that these moves, along with the closer relationship that has developed between Moscow and Beijing, point to the likelihood of China attempting to launch a gold-backed currency. However, neither Russia nor China has officially confirmed plans for such a currency. Craig Singleton, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former U.S. diplomat,...