Russian | Crypto

With a $151 million market cap, A7A5 has reportedly been involved in $9.3 billion of transactions with Grinex, the supposed successor to the sanctioned Garantex exchange. A7A5, a new Russian ruble-backed stablecoin, has reportedly emerged as a major transaction tool on Grinex, a crypto exchange widely seen as the successor to Russia’s sanctioned Garantex platform. Following the stablecoin’s launch in Kyrgyzstan in February, at least $9.3 billion worth of A7A5 (A7A5) has moved through Grinex, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Although Grinex has repeatedly denied links to Garantex, the exchange was allegedly crediting balances by users of the sanctioned Garantex, which was hit with a $27 million USDT freeze by Tether in March. Read more

Russian authorities found 95 mining rigs and a mobile transformer in a KamAZ truck illegally tapping power meant for a village in Buryatia. Authorities in Russia’s Republic of Buryatia have uncovered an illegal cryptocurrency mining operation hidden inside a KamAZ truck siphoning electricity meant for a nearby village. Discovered during a routine power line inspection in the Pribaikalsky District, the unauthorized setup was drawing electricity from a 10-kilovolt line, enough to supply a small village, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS. Inside the truck, inspectors found 95 mining rigs and a mobile transformer station. Two individuals believed to be connected to the operation fled the scene in an SUV before police arrived. Read more

Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender, has introduced a new structured bond product offering exposure to Bitcoin (BTC), marking a significant step in integrating cryptocurrency-linked instruments into the country’s regulated financial ecosystem. The product, currently available on the over-the-counter market to a limited pool of qualified investors, allows returns based on the performance of Bitcoin’s US dollar […] The post Russian giant Sberbank launches Bitcoin bonds to expand Russian exposure to crypto appeared first on CryptoSlate.

South Korean police arrested a Russian national in Busan after a failed $730,000 crypto robbery in Seoul. South Korean authorities have arrested one of three Russian nationals accused of an attempted robbery during a fake crypto deal in Seoul. The suspects allegedly lured Korean investors to a hotel, where they tried to steal 1 billion won (approximately $730,000) in cash. The Gangseo Police Precinct in Seoul detained a man in his 20s in Busan on May 27, according to a report by local news outlet JoongAng Daily. The suspect faces charges of assault and attempted robbery. The other two suspects reportedly fled South Korea shortly after the incident. According to investigators, the robbery attempt occurred on May 21 at a hotel in Seoul’s Gangseo District. The suspects posed as participants in a peer-to-peer crypto transaction and invited 10 Korean men to the hotel. Read more