On February 18, the Ministry of Finance submitted a bill on the regulation of cryptocurrencies to the government. At the same time, public discussions began. On Monday, February 21, the agency published details of the document on its official website.
According to the proposal of the Ministry of Finance, the use of digital currencies as a means of payment in Russia will continue to be prohibited. However, the Ministry of Finance suggests leaving cryptocurrencies only as a tool for investment. The bill defined the requirements for exchanges and exchangers that will deal with cryptocurrencies.
Foreign cryptocurrency exchanges will have to register in Russia in order to obtain a license. The Ministry of Finance proposes to allow transactions with the purchase or sale of cryptocurrencies only if the client is identified. The deposit and withdrawal of cryptocurrencies will be possible only through banks using a bank account.
Exchanges must inform citizens about the high risks associated with purchasing digital currencies. Citizens will undergo online testing before purchasing cryptocurrencies, which will determine the level of knowledge of the specifics of investing in digital currencies and awareness of possible risks.
According to the official website of the Ministry of Finance, "with successful testing, citizens can invest up to 600 thousand rubles in digital currencies annually. If the testing is not passed, then the maximum amount of investment will be limited to 50 thousand rubles (about 0.015 bitcoins at the time of writing the news). Qualified investors and legal entities will make transactions without restrictions."
The agency also proposes to consolidate the definition of digital mining as an activity aimed at obtaining cryptocurrency. The Ministry of Finance noted that they had received proposals from the Bank of Russia on the introduction of a ban on the organization of the issuance and circulation of digital currencies.
Last week it became known that the Central Bank proposes to ban not only the organization of the issuance of cryptocurrencies and their circulation but also the dissemination of information about them. Also, the Central Bank prohibits banks and other financial market participants from owning private digital currencies.
In addition, on February 18, the Central Bank proposed to introduce fines of up to one million rubles ($12,700) for the issue of private cryptocurrency. If the bill is adopted, individuals may face fines in the amount of 300 ($3,800) to 500 ($6,300) thousand rubles, and organizations from 700 thousand ($8,800) to one million rubles ($12,700).
Earlier, CySecurity News reported that the Kremlin and the Russian government have estimated the Russian cryptocurrency market at $214 billion.
