The-Digital-Ruble
Saheli Majumder Ambwani
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For years, Russia couldn’t decide whether to ban Bitcoin or embrace it. Now, the fence-sitting is over. The Russian government just finalized a massive regulatory framework for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins. They aren’t doing this because they love crypto—they’re doing it because they need a way to move money across borders without the US dollar.

The real story here isn’t just Bitcoin. It’s stablecoins. Russia is officially allowing businesses to use digital assets for international trade. Because traditional banks are getting blocked by sanctions, stablecoins (pegged to gold or other currencies) have become the “emergency exit” for Russian imports and exports.

The “Miner” Tax: Mining is no longer a hobby in Russia; it’s an industry and it has RCC – Rule, Catch and Control.

  • The Rule: If you mine crypto, you have to register with a national registry.
  • The Catch: You pay taxes like any other business. No more gray market mining in the basement using subsidized electricity.
  • The Control: The government now has the power to ban mining in specific regions if the power grid gets too stressed.

If you’re a regular Russian citizen, it just got harder to trade. The new rules divide investors into “qualified” and “unqualified.” If you don’t pass a financial test, you’re limited in how much crypto you can buy. They want to keep the big money moving for the state while keeping the average person away from the volatility.

Russia is essentially building a walled garden for digital assets. They’ve realized they can’t stop crypto, so they’ve decided to tax it, track it, and use it to bypass global sanctions. 2026 will be the year we see if this “shadow” financial system actually holds up under pressure.