MOSCOW, (Reuters) - Russian authorities have drawn up a 'road map' that envisages restrictions on cryptocurrencies but not a complete ban on trading and mining as advocated by the central bank, a document seen by Reuters showed on Friday.
Politicians have pressed for a change of tack by the central bank, which has proposed restricting cryptocurrency trading and energy-intensive mining on the Russian territory because it may cause financial instability.
President Vladimir Putin has asked those involved to find a consensus, and a working group, including the finance, economy, digital and interior ministries, the FSB security service, and the central bank, has been working on such a plan.
According to the document, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko has signed the road map, first reported by business daily RBC. A representative for Chernyshenko confirmed the document's authenticity.
"We note that the points of the road map were supported in full by all agencies, with the exception of the Bank of Russia," the document said.The central bank said it was familiar with the draft of the road map.
"We believe it is necessary to prepare a federal law, establishing a ban on the issue and circulation on Russian territory of private digital currencies and also to determine liability for violating this ban," the central bank said in a statement.
"We are not saying we intend to ban the ownership of cryptocurrencies," Elizaveta Danilova, head of the central bank's financial stability department, stressed later on Friday.
Fitch Ratings said Russia's proposed ban would limit the financial system's exposure to risk but may curb innovation and hinder Russian banks' technological development in the longer term.
The working group's proposal would allow for the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies exclusively by Russian banking organizations.
It proposes creating procedures to block foreign crypto exchanges from offering services to users in Russia but suggests foreign platforms could obtain licenses to operate in the country.
Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, told Reuters it wanted to expand in Russia this week.
The Digital Ministry said a ban on cryptocurrencies would dramatically slow the IT industry's development pace, pointing to the numerous cryptocurrency projects with Russian roots, and called for the road map's swift approval.
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"There is no final decision," central bank's Danilova said. "The central bank has no right to take legal initiative...we will now be actively communicating with all parties."
The central bank continues to oppose cryptocurrency mining, whereby powerful computers compete against others hooked up to a global network to solve complex mathematical puzzles, warning of inefficient energy consumption and its environmental impact.
It said power outages in Kazakhstan, the world's second-largest bitcoin mining hub, showed what problems mining could cause. However, this week, Putin said Russia was well-placed to cope, pointing to the competitive advantages of surplus electricity and well-trained personnel.
In August, Russia accounted for 11.2% of the global "hashrate" - crypto jargon for the amount of computing power being used by computers connected to the bitcoin network.
This year, Russia plans to test a digital rouble to facilitate payments for individuals and businesses and make its currency more global in the face of Western sanctions.
Fitch said the digital rouble might result in deposit outflows from the banking system, modestly increasing competition for funding and raising interest rates.
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