Russia
Russia’s Finance Ministry Opposes Central Bank Call for Crypto Ban
Russia needs to regulate cryptocurrencies, not ban them, says the head of the financial policy department at Russia’s Ministry of Finance, Ivan Chebeskov. This comes as the Bank of Russia issued a report earlier this month calling for all crypto trading and mining to be made illegal in the country.

Russian Bank Calls for Crypto Ban, Korea’s Lofty Metaverse Goals
Russia’s central bank calls for crypto ban. Foxconn chair says 2022 is the first year of the metaverse for the company. South Korea aims to become top five metaverse leader by 2026. We’ll have more on those stories and other news shaping the cryptocurrency and blockchain world in this episode of “The Daily Forkast.”

Russian Authorities Say They’ve Dismantled REvil Ransomware Group at US Request
Russia’s top domestic intelligence agency says REvil, the Russia-based ransomware group tied to the Colonial Pipeline attack, has “ceased to exist” after it arrested 14 alleged members of the criminal organization last week. CoinDesk’s Nikhilesh De discusses the latest global policy and regulation and what this could mean for ransomware attacks in 2022.

Putin Signals Tolerance of Cryptocurrencies
CoinDesk’s Nikhilesh De discusses the specifics, reactions, and implications for Russian President Vladimir Putin saying crypto has value but cannot yet replace the U.S. dollar in settling oil trades.

Putin: Crypto Can’t Yet Replace Dollar in Settling Oil Trades
Reacting to Russian president Vladimir Putin saying he doesn’t think crypto can replace the U.S. dollar in settling oil trades yet, though he believes it has value. Merkle Science’s Mary Beth Buchanan discusses the implications for Russia potentially warming up to crypto.

US Sanctions Enforcer Blacklists a Crypto Exchange for First Time
The U.S. Treasury Department added Russia-based crypto exchange Suex.io to its list of specially designated nationals (SDNs) for its alleged role in facilitating cryptocurrency transactions for ransomware attackers. Labeled a “specially designated national,” Suex.io is in a category with suspected terrorists.

Russia’s Financial Monitoring Agency Will Pay $200K for Crypto Transaction Surveillance
Rosfinmonitoring, Russia’s agency for preventing crime financing and money laundering, will pay 14.7 million Russian rubles ($200,000) for a proprietary bitcoin transaction tool that helps identify crypto users and see if they are involved in criminal activities. "The Hash" squad discusses the local and international implications for Russia finally dabbling into the transaction monitoring space after three years in the making.
