Tagged: russia

December 1, 2024 @ 9:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Earlier this week, Russia reportedly approved a cryptocurrency-focused tax law which recognizes Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto-assets as property (somewhat similar to what Chinese courts has determined several years back). The legislation, which was reportedly approved on November 27, 2024, formally acknowledges Bitcoin / other virtual… Read More

October 1, 2024 @ 10:43 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning individuals and entities affiliated with Evil Corp, a cybercriminal operation based in Russia. OFAC is taking the action in partnership with the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and… Read More

September 6, 2024 @ 8:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Chainalysis has shared key insights focused on Russia’s cryptocurrency pivot as well as legislated sanctions “evasion.” In response to mounting financial pressures of Western sanctions, Russia enacted significant legislation “legalizing cryptocurrency mining and permitting the use of cryptocurrency for international payments.” Chainalysis added that the… Read More

April 13, 2024 @ 1:45 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Alfa-Bank has achieved a significant technological milestone by becoming the first bank in Russia to launch its mobile banking application, Alfa-Online, on the domestic Aurora operating system, now updated to its fifth version. This initiative marks a notable advancement in the integration of Russian-developed technology… Read More

March 26, 2024 @ 3:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned thirteen entities and two individuals for operating in the financial services and technology sectors of the Russian Federation economy “including persons developing or offering services in virtual assets that enable the evasion of… Read More

March 11, 2024 @ 7:58 am By Michael Wong  |  

The Kremlin has announced plans to create an independent payment system within the BRICS group of nations, employing blockchain and digital currencies. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, in a detailed interview with Russian news agency TASS, highlighted the initiative aimed at developing a financial infrastructure that… Read More

December 12, 2023 @ 8:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Crypto exchange Binance, which recently agreed to pay a massive $4.3 billion+ as part of an unprecedented settlement with US regulators, is now preparing to leave the Russian market. The company will also end support for Ruble-based transactions due to regulatory challenges. Binance confirmed that… Read More

November 21, 2023 @ 10:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

For SMEs, the year 2023 could mark a “turning point.” They have shown resilience “despite persistent inflation and the war in Ukraine, but they are now having to face rising interest rates which is making life tough for them for three reasons,” according to iBanFirst,… Read More

November 16, 2023 @ 8:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In 21 months of the war (since February 24, 2022), PeerBerry business partners Aventus Group and Gofingo Group have, in total, repaid PeerBerry investors €46.2 million or 92% of the total outstanding war-affected obligations. Today, Gofingo Group repaid PeerBerry investors €200 000 in war-affected loans…. Read More

November 4, 2023 @ 2:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On November 3, 2023, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Russian national Ekaterina Zhdanova for using cryptocurrency “to launder money on behalf of Russian elites, ransomware groups, and other bad actors.” Chainalysis has examined the three Bitcoin… Read More

November 4, 2023 @ 7:21 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned Russian national Ekaterina Zhdanova for utilizing crypto to launder and move money on behalf of “Russian elites.” Strict sanctions have been enacted by the US and other nations following Russia’s unprovoked… Read More

September 27, 2023 @ 8:02 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance, which is being sued by US regulators for a wide range of issues along with facing other major compliance and operational challenges, has entered into an agreement to sell the entirety of its Russia business to CommEX. To ensure a smooth process for existing… Read More

September 23, 2023 @ 6:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In 19 months of the war (since February 24, 2022), PeerBerry business partners Aventus Group and Gofingo Group have, in total, “repaid PeerBerry investors €45.52 million or 90.64% of the total outstanding war-affected obligations.” Compared to other war-affected platforms, PeerBerry claims that it is the… Read More

August 28, 2023 @ 8:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

P2P digital currency exchanges have reportedly assisted crypto traders with circumventing globally-enforced sanctions against Russia’s banking institutions. Crypto exchange Binance‘s recent activities might worsen its regulatory challenges in the US. The recent crackdown attempts to place a ban on transactions completed with payment cards that… Read More

July 5, 2023 @ 5:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The owner of CarMoney, a Russian firm focused on offering secured car loans, launched a direct listing on the Moscow Exchange on Monday (July 4, 2023) in a capital raise that valued the business at roughly 6.3 billion roubles (or the equivalent of $70.7 million)…. Read More

May 16, 2023 @ 8:04 am By Omar Faridi  |  

PeerBerry business partners are repaying €1.8 million of war-affected loans. Under the Group guarantee mechanism in 15 months of the war, PeerBerry business partners have already “repaid €38.73 million, or 77.12% of the total war-affected obligations towards PeerBerry investors.” As noted in a blog post,… Read More

April 24, 2023 @ 8:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

After “proactive” efforts to petition the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (The Central Bank), in September 2022, Revo Russia (OOO Revo Technologies MFC) obtained special permission in order “to accelerate repayment of its obligations to Mintos investors in payments larger than 10 million RUB… Read More

April 18, 2023 @ 11:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

PeerBerry recently revealed that its business partners are repaying €1.8 million worth of war-affected loans. PeerBerry writes in a blog post that under the current Group guarantee mechanism in 14 months of the war, the investment platform’s business partners have already repaid €36.8 million, or… Read More

April 9, 2023 @ 9:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In March, PeerBerry investors reportedly funded €65.53 million of loans, “i.e., €10.23 million or 18.5% more than the previous month.” In March, their investors “received €877 001 in interest.” 1071 new investors joined the platform last month. The average annual ROI on PeerBerry “in March… Read More

April 5, 2023 @ 2:32 pm By JD Alois  |  

Operation Cookie Monster Genesis Market, a dark web operation that catered to criminals looking for stolen identities to pilfer bank accounts or pursue ransomware operations, has been taken down in a coordinated operation that involved many different enforcement agencies around the world. The Federal Bureau… Read More