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Putin Sets July Deadline For Cryptocurrency Law in Russia

Putin sets july deadline for cryptocurrency law in russia

Putin Sets July Deadline For Cryptocurrency Law in Russia

Putin sets july deadline for cryptocurrency law in russia

Russia’s long-running cryptocurrency regulation saga may soon be at an end as Vladimir Putin has ordered a deadline of 1st July 2019 for the approval of the ‘crypto-sphere’ bill.


Previously, On ‘Crypto-Currenskiy’

The ‘Quest for the Regulatory Bill’ picked up pretty much straight after the finale of prequel, ‘The Prohibition Question’. As you may recall, the Federal Tax Service had finally revealed the bombshell, that Bitcoin was legally a foreign currency. By this point though, the story had become so drawn out and confused by plot twists, that all but the most hardcore fans had stopped watching long before.

Despite this, way back in December 2016, the ‘Quest for the Regulatory Bill’ began. Sadly, it soon became clear it would be just as confusing and unwieldy as its predecessor.

The first season passed with barely any storyline at all. The first draft of the regulatory bill only made an appearance in December 2017’s season finale. Season two saw the government demand major revisions, but the second half of the story started to plod, and there was no real satisfying conclusion.

Season Three To Be Series Swan-song?

The Spring session of the state Duma (lower house of Russian parliament) runs from January until July 2019. The cryptocurrency thread was initially expected to play out by April, although the writers have already delayed this, due to technical and legal problems.

But now, with Russian president, Vladimir Putin, stepping in to demand a conclusion by 1st July, the team must surely up their game. After all, what Putin says…

…although, perhaps not? Putin originally intervened in the plot back in December 2017, also demanding a resolution by July the following year. And we all know that didn’t happen.

‘Crypto-Sphere’ Teasers

The Federal Council have already expressed their dissatisfaction with the slowness of the lower chamber. Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko openly demanded the Duma accelerate the amendment and adoption of the law.

No doubt, like the rest of us, he was eager to see the start of the final part of the trilogy, ‘Crypto-Sphere’. We have already had several teasers of what is to come. From an alleged $10 billion government crypto-investment, to the promise of a ‘Petro-like’ oil-backed state cryptocurrency.

But first, we need the ‘Quest for the Regulatory Bill’ to conclude.

$2 Billion Budget Lost

If nothing else, the regulation might finally plug a large hole in the budget. Following Putin’s intervention, the Russian Association of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain (RAKIB), claimed that in the last 18 months, the Russian economy has lost about $2 billion due to its lack of cryptocurrency regulation.

This, they claim, comprises three main components:

  • Commissions from Russian miners being paid to foreign intermediaries.
  • The outflow of Russian developers and specialists to foreign jurisdictions.
  • The growth of blockchain-related startups, working within the regulations.

Let’s hope Putin’s involvement makes a difference, and we finally find out what the future Russian crypto landscape will look like this time.

Will Russia finally pass its cryptocurrency law this summer? Let us know below!


Images courtesy of Shutterstock

Published at Thu, 28 Feb 2019 17:07:34 +0000

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Adam Back: Blockstream ‘Has No Patents Related To SegWit’

Blockstream CEO Adam Back has refuted claims by Swedish Pirate Party founder Rick Falkvinge that the company “has patents in SegWit.”


 Pirate Party’s Falkvinge: Blockstream SegWit Support Driven By Patents

In a Twitter response Monday, Back stated Blockstream “does not have any patents, patent applications, provisional patent applications, or anything similar, related to segwit.”

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Falkvinge, who is a staunch supporter of bigger blocks proposed by rival scaling solution campaigners bitcoin Unlimited, had earlier Monday released a dedicated post on his website arguing Blockstream’s SegWit support was for its own interests.

“Based on Blockstream’s behavior in the bitcoin community, I have become absolutely certain that Segwit contains patents that Blockstream and/or their owners have planned to use offensively,” he wrote.

Falkvinge Accuses Blockstream Of ‘Goalpost Moving’

The post accuses Blockstream of “classic goalpost moving” and employing behavior that “only makes sense” under a patent battle.

Falkvinge continues:

…Based on Blockstream’s behavior, I can say with dead certainty that I’ve seen this exact behavior many times in the past, and it’s always when somebody has a dual set of reasons – one for presentation and palate and another that drives the actual course of action.

Back’s Twitter retort appears to be lifted from previous comments on Reddit left by core developer Greg Maxwell.Maxwell

“As is the case for other major protocol features, the bitcoin developers worked carefully to not create patent complications. Segwit was a large-scale collaboration across the community, which included people who work for Blockstream among its many contributors,” he continued.

Moreover, because the public disclosure of segwit was more than a year ago, we could not apply for patents now.

Maxwell reiterated that Falkvinge had previously made similar allegations, which he had addressed separately.

“In short, Rick Falkvinge’s allegations are entirely without merit and are supported by nothing more than pure speculation which had already been debunked,” he concluded.

A Clash Of Ideals?

Falkvinge meanwhile has remained bullish on bitcoin publicly, telling RT in February he expected bitcoin could take over up to 10% of the foreign exchange market.

In his post, however, a clear distinction is drawn between the classic bitcoin ethos and that of Blockstream.

The owners of Blockstream are the classic financial institutions […] that have everything to lose from cryptocurrency gaining ground,” he wrote.

The conclusion is unescapable (sic) here: Blockstream’s constant goalpost shifting has had the underlying goal to have Blockstream’s owners effectively own bitcoin through patent encumbrance.

What do you think about Rick Falkvinge’s claims about Blockstream? Let us know in the comments below!


Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Twitter

The post Adam Back: Blockstream ‘Has No Patents Related To SegWit’ appeared first on Bitcoinist.com.