President Vladimir Putin called for regulation of cryptocurrencies but stopped short of backing a broad ban as a debate rages over how Russia should handle the increasingly popular financial instruments, Bloomberg reported today.
“The use of cryptocurrencies bears serious risks,” including money laundering, tax evasion and funding for terrorism, the news agency quoted Putin as saying in meeting of top finance officials. Held in Sochi today, this meeting included Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Kremlin economic aide, Andrey Belousov.
However, as reported by Bloomberg recently, a part of the Russian political and business elite, including Putin himself, tends to sees in Blockchain and cryptocurrencies potential tools to help Russia diversify its economy beyond oil and gas.
In June at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Putin talked to Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, whose family emigrated from Russia to Canada when he was six.
Putin backs cryptocurrency rules and warns of “serious risks”Read More
