Putin offers Africa crypto payments as a way around the dollar

Russian President Vladimir Putin told African leaders visiting Moscow this week that their countries should use cryptocurrencies to settle transactions and protect financial sovereignty, saying such payments cannot be blocked. He spoke during an exhibition of Russian technology, according to local media reported Wednesday, as the leaders attended the third Russia-Africa Summit and its Economic and Humanitarian Forum on October 28-29. Western sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine have limited Russia’s access to traditional global finance and pushed it to revise a formerly conservative stance on digital assets. A law passed in July 2026, effective September 1, legalized crypto investment and trading and allowed broader cross-border crypto settlements, while barring coin payments inside Russia.