Russia’s Ministry of Finance and Central Bank are teaming up to launch a centralized crypto exchange. This comes after successive attempts to force other exchanges out of the country.

This is just one step in Russia’s recent efforts to promote cryptocurrency as a tool to evade sanctions. Its government and business community have been espousing the practice, and Russia is considering a ruble-backed stablecoin.

According to a report from local media, Russia’s government institutions have big plans for this centralized exchange. Initially, it will only be open to “super-qualified” investors.

This refers to investors who have 100 million rubles ($1.2 million) in securities and deposits or 50 million ($600,000) in annual income. These requirements are not final and may be changed after launch.

Anton Siluanov, Russia’s Minister of Finance, described the plan:

“Together with the Central Bank, we will launch a crypto exchange for super-qualified investors. Crypto assets will be legalized, and crypto operations will be brought out of the shadows. Naturally, not within our country, but those operations that have been carried out today within the framework of the experimental legal regime,” he said.

This exchange is part of Russia’s response to an international crypto crackdown. Specifically, private firms are being forced to leave the country.

Last month, Garantex, a Russian exchange, lost $28 million in assets when Tether froze them after US sanctions. The month prior, Deribit also left the country after sanctions from the EU.

Siluanov announced last December that the Russian government would use cryptocurrency to evade international sanctions, and private firms have embraced the practice.

At the last BRICS Summit, Russia advocated for this policy on the international stage, and it’s considering a Ruble-backed stablecoin.

By creating this exchange, Russia will have a platform to further intensify its crypto-based activities. According to the report, these “super investors” will be able to directly trade in cryptoassets, while retail traders will be restricted to various derivatives. This ties in with a recent three-year plan to test regulated crypto markets.

Russia’s crypto exchange is set to launch this year, but the government still needs to determine a few details. The regulatory framework for crypto derivatives is not entirely operational, and the plan has faced some pushback from the nation’s financial community.

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