Close-up of an index fund investment document placed over financial charts, with faded Bitcoin and Ethereum symbols in the background alongside S&P 500 and Nasdaq references, illustrating indirect crypto exposure via index funds.

You’re in Crypto. Whether You Like It or Not

Even if you avoid buying Bitcoin, your index funds might not. Major indexes like the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and MSCI now include companies tied to crypto, giving passive investors indirect exposure without their explicit consent.
A photo-realistic illustration of Liberland’s July 3 blockchain election, featuring a glowing digital ballot box with cryptocurrency tokens rising from it, a man in silhouette standing beside a waving Liberland flag, and a misty Danube River marking the disputed border between Croatia and Serbia.

Liberland’s July 3 Blockchain Election: A Digital Democracy in a Micro-nation Struggling for Recognition

Liberland’s July 3 blockchain election, led by Justin Sun, pushes the boundaries of digital democracy in a nation without recognition or infrastructure. The crypto-driven micro-nation offers a radical experiment in governance, though it also raises serious questions about legitimacy and oversight.
A photo-realistic image showing a glowing digital map with Moscow illuminated and data streams linking it to BRICS nations. In the foreground, a gold Bitcoin coin and Russian flag sit beside a closed SWIFT terminal, symbolizing Russia’s emerging crypto economy and financial decoupling.

Sanctions, Sovereignty, and Satoshi: Is Russia Building a Parallel Crypto Economy?

Russia’s shift from crypto bans to blockchain statecraft reveals a strategy built on control, not decentralization. This final installment analyzes how the Russia crypto economy is being engineered to bypass Western systems without embracing open networks.
A photo-realistic image of a secure fintech operations room in a Russian government building, showing blockchain dashboards and a suited executive observing tokenized asset controls, representing Russia crypto platforms under state supervision.

Public Tools, State Hands: Russia’s Quasi-Governmental Crypto Platforms

Russia’s licensed crypto platforms may look private, but they function as tools of state control. This article examines how Sberbank, Atomyze, and Lighthouse enable blockchain experimentation without decentralization.
A photo-realistic image of a large industrial Bitcoin mining facility in Russia in a snowy Siberian landscape. Rows of mining rigs glow faintly behind a steel-mesh security fence, with plumes of vapor rising from the cooling units. In the distance, power lines stretch toward a hydroelectric plant framed by pine-covered hills and twilight skies. The atmosphere conveys regulated industrial scale and cold efficiency.

Mining the Motherland: How Russia Legalized and Curtailed Bitcoin Mining

Russia legalized Bitcoin mining in 2024 to monetize energy and bypass sanctions. But tight controls on access, exports, and enforcement remain.

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