Following the launch of Russia’s “special military operation” against Ukraine, which turned out to be an all-out war, NATO, the EU, and other countries decided to take a different approach and impose sanctions against Russia’s leaders and its economy instead of getting directly involved in the conflict. But it wasn’t just governments that went in that direction, as many companies did the same by halting services to Russian-based customers. They received some perhaps...
Read More »FTX CEO Frustrated With Allegations About Russians Using Crypto to Bypass Sanctions
With the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine, cryptocurrencies have taken a few roles, being sent as donations to aid the attacked nation but also in speculations that Russian oligarchs used such assets to bypass sanctions. However, community insiders continue to refute these allegations, and the latest to do so was FTX’s founder – Sam Bankman-Fried. SBF’s Frustration It’s been almost a month since Russia launched its “special military operation” against its Eastern...
Read More »Russia’s Largest Lender Sberbank Secures License to Issue, Exchange Digital Assets
Russia’s central bank granted the country’s largest lender Sberbank a license to issue and exchange digital assets. The latest move opens new avenues for the nation’s economy hammered by western sanctions. The Approval According to the official statement, local companies will be able to issue their own digital assets to lure market investments, purchase digital assets through Sber’s system, or make other such transactions under the new license. The lender also stated that it...
Read More »Dfinity Foundation Founder Submits $250M Proposal to Hasten the End of Attacks on Ukraine
Dominic Williams, the founder of Dfinity Foundation, proposed a way that blockchain and smart contracts can potentially help by getting millions of Russians to watch an entire informational video(s) about the ongoing war. The exec stated that the proposal is made in a personal capacity rather than as an employee of the decentralized blockchain project. The Proposal Even as Russia faces a massive economic meltdown, the shelling in Ukraine has hit residential areas of cities...
Read More »Christopher Wray: Russia Will Have Difficulty Using Crypto to Avoid Sanctions
Christopher Wray – the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – says that Russia overestimated its abilities to use crypto to fight sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies. Russia and Crypto May Not Be a Perfect Match Over the past several weeks, many authorities in the U.S. have commented that Russia may try to use crypto to bypass sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine. Members of Congress such as Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have...
Read More »Over 30 ‘Elona’ Scam Tokens Spawn After Verbal Clash Between Musk and Kadyrov
Earlier this week, the President of the Chechen Republic – Ramzan Kadyrov – advised Elon Musk not to measure his strength against Vladimir Putin. Kadyrov went further, ironically calling Tesla’s CEO – Elona (the female version of his name). As it goes with the nature of the crypto community, scammers created over 30 tokens containing the name Elona in just a few days. Pre-History of the Twitter Dispute The world’s richest man – Elon Musk – displayed his support towards...
Read More »Sanctioned Russian Oligarchs’ Crypto Address Possibly Identified by Elliptic
Elliptic – a blockchain forensics firm – has reportedly given authorities information about a digital wallet that could possibly be linked to sanctioned Russian entities. It apparently stores “significant asset holdings,” amounting to millions of dollars worth of crypto. Caught Using Crypto? In an interview with Bloomberg on Monday, Elliptic co-founder Tom Robinson noted that cryptocurrencies can be used to evade sanctions. This has been a growing concern among officials...
Read More »Japan Insists Crypto Exchanges to Comply With Sanctions Against Russia (Report)
The Japanese authorities reportedly urged local cryptocurrency platforms to stop facilitating digital asset transactions subject to sanctions against Russia and Belarus. The Asian nation is among the superpowers that imposed financial penalties on the largest country by landmass. Previously, Japan froze the assets of nearly 50 Russian and Belarusian oligarchs alleged to be part of Putin’s inner circle. Japan’s Way to Oppose the War Russia’s “special military operation” in...
Read More »Is the War in Ukraine Affecting the Crypto Industry? DappRadar Insights
Dapp discovery and analysis platform DappRadar has released a detailed report covering how the war between Russia and Ukraine has impacted the crypto industry. It argues that blockchain-based solutions could “play an important role” as the war continues, especially in light of global sanctions and asset freezes against Russia. The Macroeconomic Picture The report begins by assessing both Russia’s and Ukraine’s economic roles in the world. While Russia is one of the world’s...
Read More »Support for Ukraine Doesn’t Undermine Other Wars: Vitalik Buterin
Vitalik Buterin on Wednesday whetted his support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion. He said similar wars may be raging on in other parts of the world but that doesn’t mean people should stop caring about the Ukrainians or vice-versa. Buterin in Support of Ukraine In a tweet Wednesday morning, Ethereum’s co-founder said: “Ukrainians are far from the only ones suffering from war. Also people in Yemen, Ethiopia… just as human as Ukrainians and you are. This is NOT a valid...
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