Head of Russia’s Largest Bank Admits to Own Bitcoin as ‘BitRuble’ Sparks Controversy
While a new digital currency proposed by payments services company Qiwi, dubbed the BitRuble, has led to harsh criticism from a top Russian official, the head of the country’s largest bank Sberbank has admitted to owning bitcoin. Just because Russia has quasi-banned Bitcoin for use by the proletariat doesn’t mean the Russian elite don’t horde see the value in ownership. Earlier today, Sberbank CEO German Gref proclaimed himself a bitcoin owner at Finnopolis 2015, a finch conference held in Kazan this week. "It's absolutely illegal, such technical hooliganism absolutely inappropriate. The....
Related News
While Russian authorities and officials have frequently poured scorn on bitcoin and digital currencies, going as far as to craft laws aimed at criminally prosecuting adopters and miners, the head of Russia’s largest bank has revealed that he has owned and exchanged bitcoins for fiat currency. Herman Gref, CEO and chairman of the executive board of Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank by assets has, in a public talk, spoken to the benefits of virtual currencies while opining how they will soon permeate into society, as reported by Russian news agency TASS. Speaking at the presentation of a joint....
According to a report, Russian payment platform Qiwi will create a blockchain consortium which will see Russia’s biggest banks at its members. In a move reminiscent of the private banking blockchain consortium led by New York-based R3, Russian payment operator Qiwi is reportedly looking to create a consortium for banks in the country. Qiwi intends to develop standards for the application of distributed ledger technology among banks, according to a report from Russian publication Izvestia. The Russian startup has sent invitations to Russia’s biggest banks including BIN Bank, Alfa Bank, and....
Russia’s Deputy Director of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service just revealed that discussions are underway between the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance regarding a national cryptocurrency. Russia’s Own Crypto on its Way? Deputy Director of the Federal Monitoring Service, Pavel Livadny, says that Russian citizens will be able to purchase the....
Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin recently spoke on the possibilities of applying his decentralized smart contracts platform in Russia, the proposed cryptocurrency ban in the country, and talked with representatives from the country’s central bank at a fintech event held in Russia’s “Silicon Valley.” Ethereum Fuels Russian Interest. The event was held on....
The quotes are certain to raise eyebrows among bankers, everywhere. The Vice President of Sberbank, Russia’s biggest bank by assets and the third largest bank in Europe (2014 figures) has opined that the advent and spread of blockchain technology will see banks disappear by 2026. Speaking at Metro Expo 2016, an industry conference, Sberbank’s vice president Andrey Sharov shared his thoughts about the future of the banking industry. With quotes reported by Russian news agency , Sharov predicts that the rise of blockchain technology will lead to the demise of the current banking industry as....