• This has sparked speculation that Russians may use crypto to do business. 
• Russians, in general, are the ones most likely to switch to crypto.

PayPal has announced that it will no longer be operating in Russia. The corporation chose this position to protest “Russia’s violent military aggression in Ukraine,” says CEO and President Dan Schulman. For the time being, PayPal will enable withdrawals for Russian clients. This is good news for them.

MasterCard followed suit by announcing that it has chosen to halt its services in the nation following a thorough analysis of the situation. According to the business, this move was made in response to several financial institutions being blocked from the Mastercard payment network. Visa, its rival, also came to the same conclusion. There was a statement stating it had begun halting all sales. As a result, Visa cards issued in Russia will no longer be accepted outside Russia, and cards issued outside Russia will not be accepted in Russia anymore.

Russia Might Adopt Crypto to Bypass Sanctions

On the other hand, the Russian Central Bank has confirmed that MasterCard and Visa cards will continue to operate in Russia. According to the bank, strict regulations do not apply to transactions conducted via the National Payment Card System. As a result, only cross-border transactions will probably be permitted.

Three of the world’s most popular payment providers have ceased operations in the nation due to financial sanctions. The value of the ruble has already fallen significantly. This has sparked speculation that Russians may use crypto to do business. The Ukraine-Russian war sparked Russian plans to legalize and integrate cryptocurrencies into the country’s conventional banking system before the crisis broke out.

It may now use digital currency as a result of these penalties. Many agencies have warned that Russian billionaires may avoid economic penalties by using crypto. Russians, in general, according to the crypto community, are the ones most likely to switch to crypto in the face of economic instability.