EU Targets Crypto Assets in Widened Sanctions Against Russia, Belarus

The European Union is extending the scope of sanctions introduced in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the latest agreement between member states specifically mentioning crypto assets. Russian oligarchs, senators and Belarusian banks have been targeted. Europe’s Sanctions Classify Crypto Assets as Securities to Close Loopholes for Russia On Wednesday, the European Commission welcomed … Read more

Visa and Mastercard Suspend Operations in Russia as Part of Sanctions Over Ukraine

The world’s leading payment processors Visa and Mastercard have joined sanctions against Russia over its military invasion of Ukraine. The American companies announced suspension of operations in the Russian Federation although Russians will be able to use their cards inside the country. Card Payment Giants Visa and Mastercard Add to Pressure on Russia Over Ukraine … Read more

While the Fed Monitors the ‘Ukraine Situation Closely,’ Powell Still Expects a Series of Quarter-Point Rate Hikes

Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell still expects to see interest rate hikes starting in March, but the Fed chief further stressed that the central bank will “need to be nimble.” In remarks prepared for members of U.S. Congress, Powell discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, noting that the “implications for the U.S. economy are highly … Read more

Venezuela Might Be Affected by Russian Banks’ SWIFT Suspension

Analysts from Venezuela have expressed their worries about the expulsion of a number of Russian banks from SWIFT, an international messaging system that allows the interconnection of banks. These measures could affect the finances not only of Venezuela, but also of other countries in the region, damaging their capability to move funds, which is highly … Read more

Ukraine Targets Russian Politicians’ Crypto Wallets as Russian Banks Are Cut From SWIFT

Ukraine is now trying to expose cryptocurrency wallets used by politicians in Moscow amid warnings that Russia may employ digital coins to circumvent sanctions. The initiative comes as western allies agree to expel some Russian banks from SWIFT, the global interbank payments system. Government of Ukraine Seeks Info on Crypto Assets of Russian and Belarusian … Read more

Analysts Warn of Regulatory Risks if Russia Is Able to Use Crypto to Evade Sanctions

Russia could turn to cryptocurrency if it is banned from the SWIFT payments system. Analysts have warned that if Russia is able to use crypto to evade sanctions, “political support in the U.S. for crypto will fall and regulatory risk will rise.” Crypto Faces Regulatory Risks if Used by Russia to Evade Sanctions Amid growing … Read more

Russian Bitcoin Mining Assessed Amid Conflict With Ukraine, Large ETH Pool Cancels Service to Russia

With the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, many observers are curious about the large quantity of hashrate located in Russia, as the region reportedly controls the third-largest sum of SHA256 hashpower worldwide. Furthermore, on February 24, the ethereum mining operation Flexpool announced it has halted services to Russia entirely. “We apologize to our Russian miners; … Read more

SWIFT Aims to Test Tokenization in 2022, Clearstream, Northern Trust, SETL to Participate

SWIFT, the Belgian-based cooperative that serves as an intermediary and settlement executor of financial transactions between banks worldwide is planning to experiment with asset tokenization in 2022. In a blog post about the subject, SWIFT notes that it will be working with firms like Clearstream, Northern Trust, and SETL to explore “the feasibility and benefits” … Read more