sia

According to Bits.media, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas stated that the EU plans to restrict 11 cryptocurrency platforms in the 21st round of sanctions, claiming that these platforms assist Russian authorities and businesses in evading international sanctions. The new measures will also tighten the ban on providing cryptocurrency-related services to third countries, expand the sanctions list, and prohibit transactions with these 11 cryptocurrency platforms, although the names of the platforms have not been disclosed.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the new sanctions aim to increase pressure on the structures that help Russia maintain international financial channels. In addition, the new sanctions will involve about 90 Russian banks, of which 31 may face a complete trading ban. The EU has already imposed sanctions on cryptocurrency transfer and exchange service providers registered in Russia in the 20th round of sanctions, which took effect on May 24.

The State Duma of Russia has passed a cryptocurrency tax reform bill submitted by the government in the first reading, aiming to further clarify the tax rules related to digital assets. According to the draft, the taxable base for cryptocurrency transactions will be calculated based on the positive difference between income and costs, allowing investors to offset gains and losses from digital currencies and foreign digital rights assets within the same tax period.The bill also requires brokers and trust management institutions to fulfill the obligation of withholding and paying personal income tax in cryptocurrency and foreign digital rights transactions, and to retain relevant transaction vouchers for at least five years. At the corporate level, except for cryptocurrency mining, income and expenditure related to foreign trade involving digital assets will be included in the corporate income tax base, and foreign digital rights assets will also be treated as cryptocurrency for tax purposes.In addition, the Budget and Tax Committee of the State Duma of Russia has suggested further amendments to the bill in the second reading, requiring licensed cryptocurrency exchange platforms to assume tax agency functions, directly withholding personal income tax when users buy and sell cryptocurrencies. If the final legislation is passed, Russia's regulatory system for digital asset taxation will be further improved.

Russian Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov stated that Russia may introduce fees, recommendations, and technical protection mechanisms for "unfriendly" cryptocurrency transactions to protect Russian investors. During the preparation for the second reading of the cryptocurrency market regulation bill, one of the core topics is whether to allow specific digital assets (including USDT and BNB) to participate in trading. Ivan Chebeskov pointed out that the operation of such tools may pose high risks to Russian users, and therefore additional protective measures are being considered, including economic incentives such as fees or recommendations to encourage citizens to hold other assets.Previously, the Russian Ministry of Finance considered excluding USDT from the cryptocurrency market regulatory framework, but industry participants expressed their willingness to bear the risks of using the tool themselves. Additionally, in the regulatory concept proposed by the Central Bank of Russia last December, it was suggested that digital currencies and stablecoins be classified as foreign exchange assets, allowing buying and selling but prohibiting their use for domestic payments for goods and services. Ineligible investors may purchase the most liquid cryptocurrencies after passing specific tests, and the annual limit for purchasing assets through a single intermediary does not exceed 300,000 rubles.

According to Crypto Briefing, the Central Bank of Russia has rejected the proposal to immediately expand access to cryptocurrencies, not allowing non-qualified investors to trade cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT. Vice President Vladimir Chistyukhin stated that after the new regulations come into effect, only these three mainstream digital currencies will be allowed for trading.Chistyukhin pointed out that the high volatility of cryptocurrencies, market risks, and the possibility that stablecoins may be restricted or frozen are reasons for maintaining strict limits. These rules are part of Russia's digital currency legislation, which is expected to come into effect next month after being overwhelmingly passed in the first reading by the State Duma in April. Regulators also intend to maintain the proposed investment cap of 300,000 rubles.As part of the proposed rules, both qualified and non-qualified investors must pass a mandatory knowledge test before purchasing any digital assets. From 2027, unauthorized cryptocurrency lending will be prohibited. The bill still needs to go through a second reading, a third reading, approval from the Federation Council, and presidential signing to become law.

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

Recently, the positive overlap mapping of Marvell (MRVL) called out by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has led to unprecedented funding attention for both AI chip companies in the derivatives market, with significant increases in stock prices and trading volumes.According to Gate market data, NVIDIA (NVDAX) is currently priced at $215.19, with a nearly flat 24-hour price change; Marvell Technology (MRVL) is currently priced at $299.03, up 0.97%. CoinGlass data shows that the 24-hour trading volume of NVDAX contracts on the Gate platform reached $4.3017 million, ranking first in the entire network; MRVL contracts had a 24-hour trading volume of $6.3152 million, also ranking among the top.

British teenager Alexander Browder stated that he has been placed on a sanctions list by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and banned from entering the country for writing a report exposing a cryptocurrency money laundering network supported by Russia.The report indicates that countries such as Russia, Iran, and North Korea launder approximately $350 billion, with a ruble stablecoin named A7A5 being one of the main issues facing Western anti-money laundering efforts. The UK Foreign Office stated that Russia uses tokens like A7A5 to evade Western sanctions and fund its military. The UK government imposed sanctions on individuals related to this network in May, which transferred over $90 billion last year. Alexander Browder expressed pride in being the first high school student globally to be sanctioned by an authoritarian regime for exposing corruption.

According to Cointelegraph, Coinbase has frozen over $3 million in cryptocurrency related to a Southeast Asian crypto fraud network. This action is part of the "Disruption Week" initiative led by the U.S. Department of Justice's Fraud Center, aimed at combating crypto fraud targeting American citizens. Meta, Microsoft, and Starlink also participated in this operation, collectively cutting off servers and hosting infrastructure associated with the fraud network, disrupting criminal activities across more than 1.4 million social media and email accounts. The Royal Thai Police's Anti-Fraud Center has carried out multiple arrests. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that investment fraud and pig butchering scams are the fastest-growing and most financially destructive types of fraud targeting Americans. Coinbase stated that blockchain technology provides law enforcement with transparent, immutable, and permanent transaction records that traditional financial systems often cannot offer.

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 Bits.media, a large illegal cryptocurrency mining operation was discovered in the city of Nizhny Tagil in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, and the nearby city of Kushva. The mining operation was hidden in an abandoned industrial park and deployed about 10,000 mining machines, which were dismantled by a joint operation of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, the police, and the power company.Local power companies estimate that the losses caused by the long-term illegal electricity usage of this mining operation amount to nearly 1 billion rubles (approximately 12.7 million USD). Investigators stated that its electricity consumption was sufficient to meet the lighting needs of a small city. Law enforcement has arrested three suspects, who are currently under house arrest and are being investigated for "causing property damage through deception or abuse of trust." Under Russian law, those involved could face up to 5 years in prison.Investigations revealed that the operators of the mining site accessed the power grid through intermediaries and allegedly tampered with electricity meter data to cover up the actual electricity usage. Law enforcement agencies stated that the actual electricity consumption of the mining operation was about twice the approved quota. The local energy department initially launched an investigation due to frequent voltage fluctuations, power outages, and equipment failures in the abandoned factory area, ultimately pinpointing the location of the mining operation. A local television station also produced a documentary titled "Mining" to document this operation.

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 CoinDesk, the UK has imposed sanctions on 18 entities and individuals accused of assisting Russia in evading Western restrictions and funding its war in Ukraine, including the cryptocurrency exchange Huobi Global S.A. (operator of HTX) and the stablecoin issuer Open Joint Stock Company "Virtual Asset Issuer."This is the first time the UK has applied Regulation 17A, which targets sanctioned banks, to cryptocurrency exchanges, requiring UK financial institutions and cryptocurrency service providers to freeze relevant funds, track on-chain transactions, and not maintain agency relationships or process payments related to sanctioned entities. The sanctions primarily target the A7 payment network.According to the official announcement from Huobi HTX, the sanctioned "Huobi Global S.A." and the online Huobi HTX exchange are independent entities, and this sanction will not affect the online Huobi HTX exchange. Currently, Huobi HTX's global operations are normal, and user funds are safe and secure.

According to Reuters, Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has recently banned the prediction market platform Polymarket, deeming it a form of online gambling platform for offering "bets and speculation on events that have not yet concluded," which violates local laws.Previously, Polymarket launched a betting market on when President Prabowo Subianto would "step down as president," while his term was originally set to last until 2029. This contract went live the day after Prabowo announced plans to centralize control over the export of commodities such as coal and palm oil, sparking discussions on local social media. Indonesian authorities also stated that they are investigating all social media accounts related to Polymarket.

According to monitoring by Catcher Predict, in the predicted market Polymarket for the event "Counter-Strike: Team Falcons vs Legacy (BO5) - CS Asia Championships Playoffs," the "Match Winner" sub-market option "Team Falcons" has experienced a drastic fluctuation in win rate, dropping from 88.5% an hour ago to the current 69.5% (a fluctuation of 19%). Please note the impact of related breaking news.

According to Bits Media, the Russian government has expanded the scope of information that miners and mining infrastructure operators must submit to the tax authorities. Under the new regulations, the national registry of miners and operators must include network address data for equipment used in cryptocurrency mining (ASIC miners). The Russian Ministry of Finance stated that this move aims to simplify the regulation of digital asset transactions and the investigation of violations. Additionally, grid operators will be able to more accurately monitor the infrastructure load in areas with a high concentration of mining capacity.According to the law, government agencies, courts, the Bank of Russia, and grid operators can access the information in the miners' registry. The Federal Tax Service is responsible for maintaining the registry of miners and mining infrastructure operators. Under current law, miners and infrastructure operators (such as mining pools) must submit and regularly update the following information: for mining equipment, details such as manufacturer, model, serial number, algorithm, hash rate, power consumption, and operating mode. Regarding mining: the amount and type of cryptocurrency mined, mining pools, and links to online statistics.

According to Catcher Predict monitoring, on the prediction market Polymarket, the "Counter-Strike: Team Falcons vs MOUZ (BO3) - CS Asia Championship Playoffs" event has seen significant fluctuations in the "Match Winner" sub-market option "Team Falcons," with the win rate soaring from 46.5% an hour ago to the current 79.5% (a fluctuation of 33%). Please note the impact of related breaking news.

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.