Against the backdrop of tightening Western sanctions against Russia, the authorities began to discuss alternative methods of cross-border payments, including using cryptocurrencies. Now the law on digital financial assets prohibits the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment for goods and services.
During a round table at the Central Election Commission of United Russia with the participation of government and Central Bank representatives, Alexander Zhuravlev, head of the commission for the legal support of the digital economy of the Moscow branch of the Russian Bar Association, proposed the idea of allowing payments in cryptocurrency when paying for IT development services. He stated this while answering a question from a member of the State Duma Information Technology Committee Anton Gorelkin. The deputy was interested in “is it possible in the current situation to consider cryptocurrencies as an alternative, independent mechanism for cross-border payments for business.”