The world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, has lifted certain restrictions on Russian users, local crypto media unveiled. Russians can once again use their bank cards to make deposits and the trading platform has canceled a limit on their balances which was introduced in compliance with European sanctions.
Holders of Russian bank cards can now deposit money to Binance, the global leader among cryptocurrency exchanges. According to the Russian news outlet Kod Durova, deposits can be made not only with Russia’s own Mir cards but also with Visa and Mastercard issued by Russian banks.
The report shows that Binance accounts can be loaded through the Russian payment service Qiwi by selecting the ‘bank card’ option. Russian ruble, British pound, Turkish lira, and euro are among the available fiat currencies while the U.S. dollar is not supported.
In March 2022, Binance halted transactions with Russian-issued cards, soon after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February. The restrictions were applied after Visa and Mastercard suspended operations in Russia as part of Western sanctions over the war.
“Conversion of rubles into cryptocurrency occurs without problems. For example, an order from rubles to USDT is made without commission,” Kod Durova wrote, noting that withdrawals to rubles are possible within limits varying between 4,300 and 200,000 rubles (close to $2,500).