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According to Bali Discovery, a 41-year-old Russian man was kidnapped in Bali and forced to hand over his cryptocurrency account. The man was stopped while riding his motorcycle after work by a black Nissan Serena, where two masked assailants handcuffed him with plastic handcuffs, blindfolded him, and took him to a two-story house.The man was held captive for about 30 hours, during which he was subjected to violent treatment, including punches and kicks. The assailants forced him to give up his cryptocurrency account password, stole his phone, and used the villa keys taken from his motorcycle to enter his residence and take his second phone, further gaining access to his accounts.Around 4 a.m. on July 4, the man was dumped near Udayana University Hospital in Jimbaran and received treatment. Bali police spokesman Ariasandy confirmed that a report had been received and that they are making every effort to apprehend the suspects.

According to Bits.media, a new draft bill submitted by the Russian government aims to grant the Financial Supervisory Authority the power to monitor all cryptocurrency transactions. For cryptocurrency transactions exceeding 60,000 rubles and foreign trade cryptocurrency transactions exceeding 1,000,000 rubles, the agency will collect complete information such as the full names or corporate names of the payer and payee, wallet addresses, actual addresses, birth dates, and taxpayer identification numbers. Transactions below 60,000 rubles only require the provision of names and wallet addresses.The bill also stipulates that the new limit for digital asset transactions by banks is 1% of the bank group's capital, and banks must hold corresponding funds to cover risks for the purchased cryptocurrencies. The central bank will be authorized to restrict or prohibit specific cryptocurrency operations when they threaten investor interests or may "undermine the stability of the financial system," with the scope extending from non-bank financial institutions to banks. The bill is expected to take effect simultaneously with the main cryptocurrency regulatory legislation, originally scheduled for implementation on July 1, but the review has been postponed. The first deputy governor recently stated that the relevant laws may take effect on September 1.

According to TASS, Vladimir Chistyukhin, the First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, stated that the law regarding cryptocurrency regulation may officially take effect on September 1, 2026. He also clarified that a transition period will be set until July 1, 2027.During this period, market participants need to prepare documents, apply for registration in the regulatory directory, obtain new licenses, and adjust internal processes, with formal operations expected to begin from late 2026 to early 2027. From July 1, 2027, the relevant criminal and administrative liability provisions will take effect, strictly distinguishing between legal and illegal cryptocurrency operations by clarifying legal responsibilities.

According to Jinshi, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated that today he will propose sanctions against more entities supporting the Russian military industry in response to Russia's attacks on Ukraine.

According to Jinshi News, the president of the Russian Federation Savings Bank stated that the key interest rate needs to be lowered.

According to Cryptopolitan, Ivan Chebeskov, Deputy Minister of Finance of Russia, stated that USDC will be included in the list of approved cryptocurrencies for trading in Russia, alongside USDT, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. Previously, the Central Bank of Russia had indicated that no more tokens would be added, but Chebeskov revealed that USDC will also be approved. Non-professional investors can only invest in eligible crypto assets, specifically cryptocurrencies with an average market capitalization exceeding 5 trillion rubles (approximately 7 billion USD) over the past two years.Chebeskov also mentioned that small fiat stablecoins from friendly jurisdictions may also be allowed, including ruble stablecoins and UAE dirham stablecoins. The Russian cryptocurrency regulatory bill must be passed by July 1, and non-professional investors will gain legal access to cryptocurrencies for the first time, but with an annual investment limit of 300,000 rubles (approximately 4,000 USD).

According to Jinshi reports, Russian President Putin stated that the "theft" of Russian assets has affected the US dollar and the euro.

The Deputy Minister of Finance of Russia, Ivan Chebeskov, stated that he does not wish to allow dollar-denominated stablecoins to circulate in the Russian market. Chebeskov pointed out that foreign stablecoin issuers such as USDT and USDC have the ability to freeze users' wallet assets. Once the relevant wallets engage in transactions with platforms licensed by the Central Bank of Russia, the risk of asset freezing for holders will significantly increase.He revealed that there have already been cases where dollar stablecoins held by Russian legal entities were frozen by the issuers, while Bitcoin and Ethereum have not encountered similar situations due to the lack of relevant technical means. The Russian Ministry of Finance believes it is necessary to establish a regulatory framework specifically for stablecoins and to prioritize the development of stablecoins pegged to the ruble and the currencies of friendly countries, while also granting the Central Bank of Russia the authority to adjust the list of relevant assets.

According to the "Financial Stability Review" published by the Central Bank of Russia, Russian private investors currently hold approximately 3.8 billion rubles in cryptocurrency-linked financial instruments, which is nearly unchanged from 3.7 billion rubles six months ago, indicating a stagnation in market interest. Among them, 1.7 billion rubles have flowed into crypto-linked corporate bonds, with 5,600 investors holding a total of 1.7 billion rubles in crypto futures positions, and about 3,800 people investing 354 million rubles in digital financial assets linked to Bitcoin and Ethereum. The main issuers are large banks such as Sber and VTB.At the same time, the Moscow Exchange has successively launched Bitcoin and Ethereum futures and related ETFs, and will add Solana, Ripple, and Tron futures varieties in May 2026.

According to TASS, the Deputy Minister of Energy of Russia stated that the government committee recommends banning cryptocurrency mining in certain areas of the Moscow and Kursk regions, with the ban effective until 2032.

According to Bits.media, Ivan Chebeskov, the Deputy Minister of Finance of Russia, stated that the final version of the government's cryptocurrency market regulation bill will retain the ban on transfers from Russian custodial wallets to non-custodial foreign wallets. More lenient conditions will only apply to participants in foreign trade activities, namely importers. Chebeskov mentioned that after the law comes into effect, the effectiveness of the new regulatory system will be analyzed, and in the future, the use of non-custodial wallets may be allowed in an experimental mode. The final version of the bill will be ready next week, and the Deputy Minister hopes it can be passed before the end of the State Duma's spring session.Previously, the Duma's Financial Market Committee opposed the central bank's stance on banning transfers to non-custodial wallets and proposed providing judicial protection for all cryptocurrency asset holders. The bill was passed in the first reading on April 21, stipulating that starting July 1, Russians and companies can only purchase digital assets through licensed intermediaries, and access to foreign cryptocurrency platforms must go through a list approved by the central bank, prohibiting access to exchanges that impose sanctions on Russia.

According to TASS, the Russian Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Russia plan to finalize the draft law for cryptocurrency market regulation next week and submit it to the State Duma for a second reading.Deputy Minister of Finance Ivan Chebeskov announced this news to reporters during the "Russian Digital Financial System: Digital Currency, Tokenization, and Artificial Intelligence" conference.

According to CCTV News, Russian President Putin arrived in Beijing on a special plane. At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Russian President Putin is making a state visit to China from May 19 to 20.

According to Bits.media, the Russian state-owned enterprise Gazprom has requested that its 17 subsidiaries must open digital ruble accounts with the Central Bank of Russia.The company stated that this move is to prepare for compliance with legislation that will take effect on September 1, which requires legal entities to be able to accept digital rubles as a method of payment for goods and services. The Russian digital ruble began testing in August 2023, and by the end of 2025, over 130 legal accounts will have participated in the platform testing. Starting September 1, large Russian banks and major enterprises must provide customers with the ability to transact in digital rubles.

According to CoinDesk, the stablecoin project A7A5, based on the Russian ruble, stated that even if the situation between Russia and Ukraine eases in the future and some sanctions are lifted, this stablecoin still has long-term survival space. Its core value lies in cross-border settlement efficiency, profitability, and the construction of regional cryptocurrency payment infrastructure.The market value of this stablecoin was approximately $500 million, initially aimed at helping Russia bypass banking restrictions, but it hopes to further develop into a "direct settlement channel between stablecoins," allowing for direct exchanges with other stablecoins without relying on USDT, USDC, or the dollar system.

According to Bits.media, the State Duma's Committee on National Construction and Legislation in Russia has suggested passing the government's proposed criminal liability bill for illegal cryptocurrency mining in the first reading.The bill will add Article 171.6 "Illegal Mining of Digital Assets and Activities of Mining Infrastructure Operators" to the Criminal Code, applicable to mining activities not registered in the national registry and unlicensed provision of mining infrastructure services. The severity of penalties will depend on the seriousness of the crime: for income or losses exceeding 3.5 million rubles, fines can reach up to 1.5 million rubles or two years' income, or compulsory labor for up to two years; for crimes committed by organized groups or income exceeding 13 million rubles, fines can reach up to 2.5 million rubles or three years' income, compulsory labor or imprisonment for up to five years, and may also include additional fines of up to 400,000 rubles or six months' income. In all cases, confiscation of the mined cryptocurrency is stipulated. The government states that currently about 50,000 entities in Russia are engaged in mining, but only 1,489 (609 legal entities and 880 individual entrepreneurs) are registered in the national registry.

According to market news, the legislative committee of the Russian government has approved a proposal from the Ministry of Finance to include operations related to digital currencies within the scope of personal income tax collection, which includes cryptocurrency exchanges.The bill proposes that transaction costs be accounted for using the FIFO (First In, First Out) method and prohibits the carryover of losses from digital currency transactions to future tax periods. Meanwhile, certain services and transactions are proposed to be exempt from value-added tax, including services from digital custodians, cryptocurrency exchange services, and certain foreign digital rights transactions without physical delivery. For debt-type digital financial assets (such as tokenized bonds), the bill sets separate profit tax calculation rules and allows for loss carryover. Previously, the State Duma of Russia had passed the "Digital Currency and Digital Rights" bill in its first reading.

According to the official website of the Council of the European Union, the EU officially passed the 20th round of sanctions against Russia in 2026, which is also the largest sanction package in two years, adding 120 individuals and entities to the list, and applying comprehensive pressure from multiple dimensions including energy, finance, military industry, and trade.In the field of cryptocurrency, given Russia's increasing reliance on cryptocurrency for international settlements under financial sanctions, the EU has implemented a comprehensive industry ban on cryptocurrency asset transfers and trading platforms within Russia. Additionally, it has sanctioned a platform in Kyrgyzstan that supports the government-backed stablecoin A7A5 and prohibited transactions related to the cryptocurrency RUBx as well as all support from the EU for the development of the digital ruble.

According to DL News, the major Russian cryptocurrency exchange Grinex has ceased operations due to a suspected major cyber attack, reportedly resulting in losses exceeding 1 billion rubles (approximately 13 million USD). The platform claimed on Telegram that the attack showed "signs of involvement from foreign intelligence agencies."Grinex is the successor to the previously sanctioned and closed Garantex exchange, providing a financial channel for the Russian economy to evade sanctions. Experts point out that Grinex's closure is not only due to the hacker attack itself but, more importantly, it removes the trading platform that Russian businesses relied on to convert rubles into usable international currencies, causing "serious damage" to the infrastructure that allows Russia to evade sanctions, making it more difficult for the Russian economy to escape the pressure of sanctions.The exchange was sanctioned by Western authorities such as the U.S., U.K., and the European Union in August 2025. Meanwhile, the Russian economy continues to weaken, with Putin revealing that GDP fell by 1.8% in January-February this year, and maritime oil exports may drop to their lowest level since 2023.