Russian Law Enforcement Submits Proposals to Regulate Seizure of Crypto Assets, Data Sharing

Russian Ministry of Finance has accepted a number of crypto regulatory proposals submitted by the country’s law enforcement departments. They cover a range of related areas, including the seizure of digital assets and the reporting of information on cryptocurrency transactions.

Russia’s Ministry of Finance (Minfin) has supported some regulatory ideas regarding cryptocurrencies put forward by the nation’s law enforcement services, the daily Izvestia unveiled this week. The ministry is responsible for drafting the legislation that will introduce comprehensive rules for the nation’s crypto space, which is only partially regulated at the moment.

The new bill “On Digital Currency” is expected to be filed with the State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament, in May. A number of government institutions have provided feedback and suggested amendments to the draft, including several relevant ministries, the Federal Tax Service (FNS), and Russia’s financial watchdog, Rosfinmonitoring.

Law enforcement departments have also proposed certain provisions pertaining to their respective fields. For example, the Federal Security Service (FSB) wants to oblige crypto exchanges and wallet providers to share information not only with courts but also with investigators working on cases involving digital financial assets.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) believes that the draft law “On Digital Currency” does not fully detail the procedure that exchanges should follow when they have to freeze cryptocurrency funds following a court order. The department also calls for the adoption of rules for the establishment of wallets that will be used to store confiscated crypto assets.

According to a document seen by Izvestia, the Minfin has agreed to incorporate the proposals of the FSB and MVD into the new law. The ministry has also accepted the suggestion of the FNS to tighten regulations for unlicensed crypto exchanges and wallet providers. The tax service wants to ban the advertising of such platforms in Russia.

However, the finance ministry has rejected other initiatives of the security and tax officials aimed at introducing even harsher rules. The department considers it inappropriate to impose “excessively detailed and strict regulation” at this stage of the crypto market’s development, warning this could cause an outflow of both customers and investors.

Meanwhile, Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov has reiterated his opinion that digital currency provisions should be added to Russia’s criminal law. This will help law enforcement to investigate cases of cryptocurrency theft and seize crypto funds. In his annual address to the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, Krasnov noted that crime involving virtual assets is on the rise.

What do you think about the crypto regulatory proposals of the Russian law enforcement agencies? Let us know in the comments section below.