TechFlow, December 17 — According to Dlnews, Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets, recently told RIA Novosti that Bitcoin and Ethereum will never become legal payment methods in Russia. He emphasized: "We must understand that cryptocurrencies will never become currency in Russia. Cryptocurrencies can only be used as investment instruments. When payments are made, only rubles should be used."
Although the Central Bank of Russia has consistently opposed cryptocurrencies, the government appears to be moving toward regulation rather than an outright ban. Russian President Putin has expressed approval of the growth of the cryptocurrency mining industry, and there have been reports of Russian companies using cryptocurrencies for billions of dollars in cross-border trade.
