The head of Sberbank, German Gref, said that the company wants to bring to the market a blockchain platform for working with a new class of assets, and is also considering the possibility of issuing its Sbercoin digital currency.
Sberbank plans to launch a platform with the ability to purchase digital financial assets. This was stated by the head of the bank German Gref during the Investor Day. He noted that from January next year, the law “On digital financial assets” will come into force in Russia, which will introduce them into the legal field.
“From January 1, the law comes into force, we want to bring to the market our new blockchain platform, which will provide services for the purchase of digital financial assets. And there we are going to realize the possibility of acquiring green instruments from the very beginning,” Gref said.
The head of the company added that the possibility of issuing its own digital currency, Sbercoin, is also being considered. The bank may start experiments in this direction in 2021.
In early August, Sergei Popov, director of the Transaction Business Division of Sberbank, announced that the company could issue a digital token, the rate of which will be pegged to the ruble quotes. It will become a settlement tool for transactions with other digital financial assets.
Earlier, the First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Russia Olga Skorobogatova said that the vast majority of financial market participants in the course of public discussion support the advisability of introducing the digital ruble. However, she stressed that the Central Bank is against the issue of any stablecoins for the Russian ruble.
On November 26, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that interest in cryptocurrencies is constantly growing, so the government plans to direct their development “in a civilized way, so that the owners of such assets can protect their rights and interests, and the creation of shadow schemes would be difficult.” According to Mishustin, it is planned to make a number of changes to the Tax Code, as well as to consolidate the recognition of digital financial assets as property, the owners of which can count on legal protection in case of any illegal actions.
