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Russian Oligarchs, Politicians Moving Towards Cryptocurrency, Britain Warns

By Koos Couvée

Blacklisted Russian oligarchs and officials are increasingly using cryptocurrency to move large volumes of cash through an unprecedented, expansive net of financial restrictions that the West began imposing on Moscow in February, U.K. officials warned. In a 15-page "red alert," the National Crime Agency and Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said that designated Russian parties now regularly use "alternative payment methods" to mitigate Western sanctions and Russia's reduced access to SWIFT, the Brussels-based platform that administers payment instructions for global banking transactions. "Russian money launderers have increasingly been observed in U.K. intelligence and operational activity providing cash to crypto-asset services,...

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