Russians set to ban Bitcoin?

It appears that the Russians have decided that the volatile virtual currency Bitcoin is not for them; this week the Ministry of Finance announced that it is currently drafting a bill that will prohibit the issue or use of the currency in terms of Article 27 of federal Russian law.

The Ministry notes that in terms of that legislation the official Russian currency is the ruble, controlled through the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, and the issue of monetary surrogates is specifically forbidden.

The glitch is that the term “monetary surrogates” is not specifically defined, necessitating the additional drafting.

The Russian objection to virtual currencies like Bitcoin is that these instruments are allegedly widely used in illegal goods and money laundering activities, and pose a danger to consumers in that they have no real value. Additionally, there is the inherent risk that investors could lose money in dealings in such surrogates.

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