The drug transactions plaguing some Moscow neighborhoods begin in drug supermarkets hidden online in the deepest reaches of the “dark web.” Here, hundreds of eager suppliers compete to satisfy their customers’ sophisticated palettes. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are the legal tender here. In exchange, buyers are issued GPS coordinates to the spot where their purchases await …
Russia’s illegal drug trade thrives in the dark web Read More
Illustrating the growing traction of blockchain technologies in the country, a team of Russian scientists and financial experts has just raised $7.07 million from 3,955 backers on a blockchain-based crowdfunding platform. Dubbed ‘ZrCoin,’ the project consists in building a factory to recycle metallurgical waste using an innovative technology. The team presents their project as “the first-ever …
Kapinvest 21, a VC company in Tyumen, in Russia’s Southeast Urals, has partnered with a group of unnamed Chinese investors, Asia LP, to launch FinShi Capital, a venture fund based on cryptocurrencies. The fund will target blockchain and fintech projects in Russia and beyond. The fund began selling pre-ICO (Initial Coin Offering) tokens today, June 15, with …
Siberian venture firm teams up with Chinese investors to launch cryptocurrency-based fund Read More
Farmer Mikhail Shlyapnikov says creating his own virtual currency allowed him to raise almost $2 million in two months. The currency, the kolion, is named after the Moscow region village of Kolionovo, where Shlyapnikov lives. During its April launch period, investors from around the world bought $500,000 worth of the currency. Since trading began at the beginning of …
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his economic team have long been under the impression that, to wean the country off its oil dependence, they needed a major leap in some specific area of technology that wasn’t yet dominated by Western, Chinese or Japanese tech giants. As reported by Bloomberg, Ethereum, the world’s largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin, has …
Putin eyes Ethereum as potential instrument for tech modernization Read More
According to its deputy chairwoman, Olga Skorobogatova, Russia’s central bank is in the process of drafting legislation to legally recognize and monitor digital currencies. The preliminary draft regulation could be presented to the Russian State Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament, as soon as June, Skorobogatova was quoted as stating by Interfax. Skorobogatova’s comments …
Russia’s central bank plans to tax bitcoin, deem it a “digital commodity” Read More
Chronopay, a major online payment provider operating in Russia from its Amsterdam headquarters, is including bitcoin to its payment gateway. Its clients will thus be able to accept the popular cryptocurrency. Chronopay founder Pavel Vrublevsky, a controversial figure, had sharply criticized Bitcoin in the past. He has changed his point of view radically: “Having thoroughly studied the …
Chronopay to support Bitcoin and Blockchain “revolution” Read More
On June 22, Saint Petersburg will host the international Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference as part of a series of events held in Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Sweden. Blockchain in banking and digital currencies legislative regulation will be among the main topics covered at the event, with industry experts and executives, entrepreneurs, startups …
Blockchain and banking discussed in Saint Petersburg (June 22) Read More
Japan has suggested a common digital currency with Russia as the regional currency in place of the Russian ruble and the Japanese yen at the long-disputed southern Kuril islands. An economic proposal by Tokyo to Moscow to build bridges between the two countries includes a number of joint economic projects on the Russian-controlled Kuril islands …
Japan proposes common digital currency with Russia for contested Kuril islands Read More
Qiwi, a NASDAQ-listed Russian payment company, has created a subsidiary to develop Blockchain products, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported earlier this week. The new company, dubbed ‘Qiwi Blockchain Technologies’ (QBT), will be headed by Alexey Arkhipov, who currently serves as director of crypto-technology development at Qiwi. This year, Qiwi may invest some 100 million rubles …
On April 19, leading international blockchain professionals will meet Russian bankers and entrepreneurs to discuss local and foreign financial and non-financial blockchain projects as part of the annual Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Russia. Held in Moscow, the conference will feature presentations by the representatives of IBM, Microsoft, Sberbank, Higher School of Economics and the State Duma, …
Blockchain and bitcoin enthusiasts to discuss industry trends in Moscow (April 19) Read More
A blockchain startup from Russia, called Exscudo, aims to become the gateway between the traditional financial system and the cryptocurrency market. The team’s main goal is to create a single gate to cryptocurrency market for simple users, professional traders, investors, and financial institutions. Exscudo plans to offer a wide range of products for all users – …
Russian startup Exscudo aims to make the cryptocurrency market accessible to all Read More
