Russians Ask if Pensions Can Be Paid in Crypto as Adoption Rises

Inquiries about whether or not pensions will be paid in crypto have grow to be one of the frequent non-standard requests obtained by the Social Fund of Russia, a state-run establishment liable for managing Russia’s public pension system.

In 2025, the Social Fund’s name middle dealt with roughly 37 million calls, the overwhelming majority associated to routine issues similar to pensions, advantages and maternity capital. Nonetheless, operators additionally more and more fielded questions on digital property, in response to a Saturday report from Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russian Gazette), the official each day newspaper of the Russian authorities.

Among the many most typical crypto-related inquiries had been whether or not Russian residents might obtain pension funds in cryptocurrency and whether or not earnings from crypto mining can be factored into the calculation of social advantages. The fund stated these questions appeared usually sufficient to face out from the general name quantity.

In response, operators stated all pensions and social funds are issued in rubles, and digital property fall outdoors the Social Fund’s remit. They added that issues associated to cryptocurrency earnings and taxation are dealt with by the Federal Tax Service of Russia, not by pension authorities.

Associated: World sanctions linked to document flows into illicit crypto addresses

Russia overtakes UK, Germany in crypto adoption

As Cointelegraph reported, Russia has emerged as Europe’s largest crypto market, outpacing nations similar to the UK and Germany, in response to an October report from Chainalysis. The examine revealed that Russia obtained $376.3 billion in cryptocurrency between July 2024 and June 2025, giving it a transparent lead over the UK, which recorded $273.2 billion throughout the identical interval.

The report attributed Russia’s rise to a pointy enhance in institutional exercise and broader use of decentralized finance. Massive crypto transfers above $10 million surged 86% yr over yr, almost double the expansion charge seen throughout the remainder of Europe. General crypto inflows into Russia rose 48% from the earlier yr, widening the hole with different main European economies.

Retail utilization and DeFi adoption additionally performed a key position. Russia recorded stronger progress in each giant and small retail segments than the remainder of Europe, whereas DeFi exercise jumped eightfold in early 2025.

Associated: Telegram income jumps to $870M in H1 2025; $2B full-year goal: FT

Russia proposes crypto entry for retail traders

Final month, the Financial institution of Russia proposed a coverage change that might enable non-qualified traders to purchase sure cryptocurrencies beneath strict situations.