EU Hits Russia With Toughest Crypto Crackdown Yet

The European Union agreed on Thursday to its 21st sanctions package against Russia. EU persons are now barred from transacting with 11 unnamed crypto operators and 94 banks and financial institutions.

While names of the 11 crypto platforms have been withheld, the EU has revealed that they mostly operate in Belarus and Nigeria, acting as conduits to funnel money between Russia and countries blocked from doing business with it.

Previously, Brussels was limited to sanctioning individual firms. It now has the power to bar crypto services from an entire nation or jurisdiction if it is viewed as a hub for laundering Russian financial transactions, an unprecedented development in the battle against sanctions evasion.

Stablecoins and The Garantex Trail

This package is the latest in a series of moves to tighten the net on crypto services tied to the ruble. Earlier this year, the A7A5 stablecoin, which acted as a bridge between sanctioned exchanges Garantex and Grinex, was designated, followed by the RUBx token and digital ruble.

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