Russia | FinTelegram News

Category: Russia

March 21, 2025

FinTelegram Investor Briefing: Garantex Reemerges as Grinex Amid Sanction Evasion

Sanctioned Russian crypto exchange Garantex has allegedly relaunched under the brand Grinex, according to a March 2025 report by Swiss blockchain analytics firm Global Ledger. The rebranded platform is linked to Garantex through on-chain and off-chain evidence, including liquidity transfers, shared infrastructure, and operational patterns.

March 7, 2025

U.S. Secret Service Seizes Russian Deep State Crypto Exchange Garantex!

The U.S. Secret Service, in coordination with international law enforcement, has seized the website of Russian crypto exchange Garantex. Accused of facilitating illicit transactions for ransomware groups and darknet markets, Garantex was previously sanctioned by the U.S. and EU for its role in laundering billions. The exchange’s abrupt shutdown follows the freezing of $28 million in USDT by Tether.

January 21, 2025

Investor Briefing: Russian Court Judgment in STRABAG Case Heavily Impacting the Austrian RBI!

A recent €2 billion judgment by a Russian court against the shareholders of Austrian construction giant STRABAG, including Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), has sent shockwaves through financial markets. The ruling, which implicates RBI's Russian subsidiary in a contentious legal dispute with Rasperia, raises significant concerns about the bank's exposure to Russian liabilities amidst ongoing Western sanctions.

December 4, 2024

Russia Sentences Hydra Marketplace Founder to Life in Prison!

The founder of Hydra, the notorious dark web drug marketplace, has been sentenced to life in prison by a Moscow court. Stanislav Moiseyev, along with 15 accomplices, faced charges of running a criminal drug enterprise. Their sentences include hefty fines and the confiscation of assets, marking a major crackdown on the dark web's illicit economy.

October 28, 2024

Russia Sentences Four REvil Ransomware Members in Rare Cybercrime Conviction!

In an uncommon move, Russian courts sentenced four members of the REvil ransomware group to prison, marking one of the few Russian cybercrime convictions. This decision follows a larger crackdown on cybercrime networks in the region. REvil was dismantled after Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced arrests against several members in an unprecedented takedown.

October 3, 2024

Evil Corp: A Comprehensive Report on Russia’s Family-Driven Cybercriminal Organization!

The U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Treasury have taken significant action against Evil Corp, a Russia-based cybercriminal group responsible for developing and distributing malware that has stolen over $100 million from banks and financial institutions across 40 countries. Evil Corp appears to operate as a family enterprise, with multiple family members involved.

October 2, 2024

U.S. DOJ Indicted Russian Hacker and Evil Corp Member Aleksandr Viktorovich Ryzhenkov!

The U.S. DOJ unsealed an indictment charging Russian national Aleksandr Viktorovich Ryzhenkov with using the BitPaymer ransomware variant to attack numerous victims in Texas and throughout the U.S. and hold their sensitive data for ransom. According to the indictment, beginning in at least June 2017, Ryzhenkov allegedly gained unauthorized access to the information stored on victims’ computer networks.

September 8, 2024

Compliance Report: Sergey Mendeleev, Garantex, and Exved – The Rising Role of Crypto in Russia’s Sanctions Evasion Strategy

Sergey Mendeleev, a prominent figure in Russia's cryptocurrency scene, has played a central role in the establishment and operation of two key platforms—Garantex and Exved. These platforms have been instrumental in facilitating cross-border payments and crypto transactions, potentially serving as important tools for Russia’s sanctions evasion strategy. Mendeleev's growing influence in this space, coupled with Russia's evolving regulatory framework, positions him as a key player in Russia.

September 8, 2024

Russia’s New Crypto Strategy for Sanctions Evasion

Russia’s new crypto laws, allowing mining and international payments in digital currencies, are part of a broader strategy to evade Western sanctions and reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar. This move, led by the Central Bank of Russia (CBR), opens up new compliance risks for global financial institutions dealing with Russian entities. The new laws are set to take effect in September for cross-border payments and in November for crypto mining.

August 11, 2024

Russian Financial Watchdog Flags High-Risk Client Migration from Qiwi to Other Banks Amid Regulatory Crackdown!

Russia's Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring) reported that clients involved in suspicious transactions migrate from QIWI Bank to other financial institutions. This shift comes in the wake of the CBR's decision to revoke QIWI's banking license earlier this year, citing severe violations of federal banking laws, including anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) regulations.

Despite New Crypto Friendlyness: No Settlement Between U.S. CFTC And KuCoin?

A planned settlement between the U.S.CFTC and crypto exchange KuCoin is now in limbo due to a reported policy shift within the CFTC. This change is attributed to the Trump administration’s new approach, which deprioritizes enforcement actions against crypto companies. As a result, a CFTC attorney said that it is "unlikely that such authorization will be granted in the near term" regarding the settlement approval.

SEC’s New Era: Paul Atkins Sworn In—Will Crypto Finally Get the Regulatory Clarity It Deserves?

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has entered a new chapter with the swearing-in of Paul S. Atkins as its 34th Chairman, a move widely anticipated to mark a dramatic pivot in how the agency approaches crypto and DeFi regulation. For years, the financial industry—especially the burgeoning digital asset sector—has bristled under the SEC’s “Regulation by Enforcement” strategy.

Crypto Mogul Changpeng Zhao – Fallen, Rich, and Rising Again?

As spring 2025 blooms and Easter’s themes of rebirth fill the air, Changpeng Zhao emerges as one of the most controversial figures of startup mythology: a man who fell spectacularly, paid a price—then rose again, wealthier and louder than ever. Once the almighty architect of Binance, CZ now resides in Dubai with a net worth that Forbes estimates at $63 billion.

Prison Update: Sam Bankman-Fried Transferred to Low-Security Federal Prison in Los Angeles!

Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the founder of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Terminal Island in Los Angeles, California. This low-security facility is known for housing non-violent offenders and has previously held notable inmates such as Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, former COO of Theranos.

Startup on Trial: Celsius Network and Alex Mashinsky – When Deception Dressed Up as DeFi Innovation!

Celsius Network promised financial freedom through crypto, only to collapse into one of the most catastrophic failures in the DeFi sector. Founder Alex Mashinsky portrayed himself as the champion of the unbanked—yet behind the scenes, Celsius engaged in reckless trading strategies, misled customers, and operated more like a hedge fund than a lending platform.