According to a Russian economist with ties to the Kremlin, the superpower is preparing a massive $10 billion USD investment in Bitcoin (available on Coinbase) to replace its US dollar reserves. Russia’s Bitcoin (available on Coinbase) investment is a step to minimize US sanctions on the country.

Russia’s Bitcoin (available on Coinbase) Investment

Vladislav Ginko, an economist at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, said the Bitcoin (available on Coinbase) investment was a step taken to avoid US sanctions on Russia.

Ginko believes that Russia’s decision to hold Bitcoin (available on Coinbase) as a reserve currency instead of the US dollar is a move being made to “protect [Russia’s] national interests” in light of a possible interruption of “US nominated payments flows for Russian oil and gas.”

Russia’s Bitcoin (available on Coinbase) investment is expected to begin in February. Mr. Ginko furthered:

“[The] Russian government is about to make a step to start diversifying financial reserves into Bitcoin (available on Coinbase) since Russia [is] forced by US sanctions to dump US Treasury bonds and [take] back US dollars […]These sanctions and the will to adopt modern financial technologies lead Russia to the way of investing its reserves into Bitcoin (available on Coinbase).”

US Sanctions Behind the Bitcoin (available on Coinbase) Investment?

US sanctions have hit the Russian rouble hard. Now the superpower wants to replace some of its US dollar reserves with the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market cap.