Russia’s new ruble backed stablecoin A7A5 has quietly moved more than $9.3 billion in just four months. It is being used to convert rubles into USDT, bypassing Western sanctions via offshore rails. It’s an expected workaround. In my 2023 article for City A.M., Can BRICS build something with Bitcoin? I discussed whether countries like Russia, China, and Brazil might one day adopt a neutral, open monetary standard rather than trying to replicate fiat in new digital forms. A7A5 shows the BRICS bloc is exploring alternatives to the dollar. But it is not building on openness, neutrality, or long-term resilience. Bitcoin is all of those things. A7A5 is a centralised digital IOU, processed through intermediaries. This is not true de-dollarisation. It is a centralised workaround that functions like a CBDC in disguise, without transparency or trustlessness. So why does it matter? Because Russia has already signalled interest in using Bitcoin for cross-border trade. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov confirmed in December 2024 that Russia is using Bitcoin in foreign transactions. Putin has said crypto has “a right to exist” and could be useful for settlements. A7A5 might not just be a workaround. It could be a stepping stone. By normalising crypto-based trade and softening public resistance, Russia may be laying the groundwork for broader adoption of digital assets - including Bitcoin. The real solution does not require back doors. How long before Russia is using bitcoin? Full article:

City AM

Can BRICS build something with Bitcoin?

Susie Violet Ward asks if BRICS nations will rise to the challenge and launch a revolutionary digi-dollar backed by Bitcoin?

I love ₿itcoin. 🧡

Today, I'm heading into the Roxom studio in London’s Soho to start regular shows on Bitcoin, current affairs, UK policy, and to interview key voices in the space. This is a hugely exciting opportunity and a perfect synergy with my work as CEO of Bitcoin Policy UK and as a journalist. Bitcoin adoption in the UK is happening. ⚡️

What a packed few days from a phenomenal Women of Bitcoin event on KYC and privacy, to Who Wants to Be a Satoshi Millionaire, and talking about the benefits of Bitcoin mining. Thanks @BTC Prague ! ⚡️

Bitcoin is bringing back that fantastic (not yet universal) sense that what we’re doing is right, that we’re winning... This time, the wave won’t break.

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Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (@GonzoVice) on X

There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You cou...

The UK is pricing out innovation with bloated compliance and unclear rules. Startups are being squeezed out while only the largest firms can afford to stay. Regulators failed to act on industry advice. Companies are leaving, growth is hindered, and we’ve lost any chance of a second-mover advantage. The real question is whether we’ll ever catch up. How did the UK, once a global leader in financial services and computer science, fall so far behind?

Heading to BTC Prague? Catch me on the ‘Bitcoin Mining Benefits: Why it Matters’ panel. Saturday 21 June at 1pm on the Expo Stage. @BTC Prague

I’ll be @The Bitcoin Conference hosting a panel on Bitcoin mining origin stories. 27 May | 3:00 to 3:30 pm | Mining Stage Three industry leaders share how challenges, lessons, & innovation have shaped their approaches to mining, sustainability, scale, and strategy. Hopefully see you there.

I’ll be hosting this panel at @The Bitcoin Conference. Mining as a Backbone for an Abundant Future 29 May | 3:00 to 3:30 pm | Mining Stage We’ll discuss everything from AI convergence, waste recovery, and how Proof-of-Work could unlock global energy abundance. @Daniel Batten @Troy Cross @Beau Winn

Most people don’t find Bitcoin through marketing. They hear it from a friend, fall down a rabbit hole, or get wrecked on something else first. So, how do you market Bitcoin to the masses? 27 May | 12:30 to 1:00 pm | Genesis Stage I’ll be in Vegas for Bitcoin 2025, hosting this panel. This one’s about community, clarity, and cutting through the noise.

KYC doesn’t just put your data at risk; it puts people at risk. Hackers recently demanded $20 million in Bitcoin from Coinbase, threatening to leak sensitive customer data. While no passwords or private keys were accessed, the attackers obtained full names, addresses, contact details, partial Social Security and bank account numbers, and identity documents. This is the kind of data that can be weaponised for identity theft, fraud, or worse. This is exactly the kind of risk I raised on the compliance panel at the Financial Times Digital Assets Summit last week. While KYC and compliance frameworks are presented as security features, they often do the opposite. They create massive, centralised honeypots of personal data that can and do get breached, sold, or exploited. We’ve seen what can happen when that data gets into the wrong hands. Earlier this year, David Balland, the co-founder of Ledger, was kidnapped along with his wife. His captors cut off one of his fingers and sent it to a business associate to demand crypto ransom. He was rescued by French special forces, but the message was clear: real-world consequences are now linked to digital identity exposure. We need better solutions that don’t force users to sacrifice privacy and safety for access. Compliance shouldn’t come at the cost of security.

This week, I attended the FT Digital Assets Summit, and while the focus was largely on 'crypto', Bitcoin kept finding its way back into the conversation. Economic Secretary Emma Reynolds ruled out the idea of a UK national Bitcoin reserve during the Summit in London, stating it's "not appropriate for our market." She added, “We understand that’s what the U.S. is going for, but that’s not the plan for us.” A disappointing (if predictable) stance, especially as more forward-thinking jurisdictions begin to explore the benefits of holding Bitcoin at a national level. I was on the "Building Trust – Risk Management and Compliance Strategies" panel, which turned out to be far more engaging than the title suggests. Some of the panellists claimed regulators were listening to companies and doing a good job, which was jaw dropping to say the least. Richard Byworth from Syz Capital nailed it on his panel about institutional adoption. He kept steering the conversation back to Bitcoin and summed it up perfectly when he said: "Regulators are not doing their job". Despite the out-of-touch comments from the Economic Secretary and some questionable optimism from industry, there were some encouraging moments. Lord Chris Holmes, who has previously leaned hard into CBDCS and digital ID, commented positively about Bitcoin. A sign that there are some in the House of Lords beginning to grasp its economic potential. The summit may not have been Bitcoin focused, but Bitcoin had a presence, and momentum is building, even if the policymakers lag behind and companies leave in their droves.

Bitcoin was born as freedom money. Decentralised, borderless, and immune to state control. But is that ideal being flipped on its head? Are a growing number of institutional players backed by governments inflating Bitcoin’s value not as a currency of the people but as a Strategic Reserve Asset to prop up the very system it was built to escape? Is the goal to create artificial demand for U.S. dollars and treasuries through stablecoins backed by U.S. debt? Stablecoins are lifelines for many, but what is the real cost? Will certain stablecoins become some of the largest holders of U.S. treasuries, indirectly funding U.S. policy while serving as the gateway to Bitcoin? By linking Bitcoin to stablecoins and those stablecoins to U.S. treasuries...has a pipeline been created to inflate Bitcoin, attract capital, prop up dollar demand, and sell more debt? Is it ironic that the asset created to resist fiat is now being used to save it? On the day Trump was inaugurated, I published this article. Centralisation is a threat. Are we paying close enough attention? https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2025/01/20/is-trumps-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-a-threat-to-freedom/