ChainCatcher news, Sberbank CEO Herman Gref stated that the law currently prohibits the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment within the Russian Federation, and it is unlikely to be allowed in the near future.Gref clarified at a meeting in Moscow that while new legislation in Russia allows for the use of digital currencies and cryptocurrencies for international payments, their use domestically remains restricted. He also pointed out that if other countries are willing to accept it, the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) of Russia—the digital ruble—can be used for global transactions.As the largest bank and state-owned financial institution in Russia, Sberbank is closely monitoring these developments, although Gref expressed uncertainty about the adoption of the digital ruble abroad.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Russian business consulting website (RBC), Russia's state-owned commercial bank Sberbank will allow individuals to trade using digital financial assets (DFA) starting in June.Previously, it was reported that Russia conducted seven placements of digital financial assets (DFA) last month, totaling approximately 1 billion rubles (13 million USD). Most of the DFA were sold by Russia's largest banking institution, the state-owned Sberbank, followed by the country's largest private bank, Alfa-Bank. It is reported that both banks are authorized DFA platform operators by the Russian banking authority. (Source link)

According to ChainCatcher news, the Russian state-owned commercial bank Sberbank is expected to launch an Ethereum-compatible DeFi platform before May, with testing opening in March. Konstantin Klimenko, product director of Sberbank's blockchain lab, stated that the platform will support usage through MetaMask. (Source link)

ChainCatcher news, Russia's largest bank Sber (formerly Sberbank) announced that it has added and integrated the cryptocurrency wallet MetaMask, aimed at interacting with the Ethereum blockchain. The bank's announcement stated that this integration allows users to operate with tokens and smart contracts placed on the Sber blockchain platform.Alexander Nam, head of the Sber Bank Blockchain Laboratory, revealed that the bank's blockchain lab is closely collaborating with external developers and partner companies, and will run DeFi applications on its infrastructure. (Cointelegraph)