ActivistPost reported the following:

Russia introduces bill to criminalize unregistered crypto services
Individuals and groups would be required to register with the Bank of Russia before offering certain crypto services, or potentially face fines and prison time.
Russia’s government submitted a bill to its parliament’s lower house in an effort to amend the country’s legal code to attach criminal liability for crypto services offered without regulatory approval or licensing.
In a draft law sent to the State Duma on Friday, Russian lawmakers proposed that entities “carrying out activities related to the organization of digital currency circulation,” that operate without a license from Russia’s central bank, could be subject to criminal liability. …
The bill also proposes a “fine of up to 1 million rubles [$13,100] or an amount equal to the convicted person’s salary or other income for a period of up to five years.”
The draft law followed a package of bills initially proposed in March that included criminal penalties for illegal crypto miners, but the most recent legislation included details on fines and potential prison time for any unregistered digital asset services. 05/01/26 https://www.activistpost.com/russia-introduces-bill-to-criminalize-unregistered-crypto-services/

The European Union wants to sanction the Russians from using cryptocurrencies:

Financial services and crypto
The EU is imposing a transaction ban on 20 Russian banks.
In addition, the EU is targeting four financial institutions in third countries with a transaction ban for circumventing EU sanctions or connecting to the Russian System for Transfer of Financial Messages, the Russian banking messaging network.
Due to sweeping sanctions on its financial sector, Russia is becoming increasing reliant on cryptocurrencies for international transactions. Noting this trend, the EU is designating a Kyrgyz entity which operates a platform where significant amounts of the government-backed stablecoin A7A5 are traded. Moreover, the EU is introducing a total sectoral ban on providers and platforms established in Russia that allow the transfer and exchange of crypto assets. The EU is also banning transactions in another crypto currency (RUBx) and all EU support for the development of the digital rouble. Lastly, netting transactions with Russian agents are now forbidden, to prevent the circumvention of EU sanctions. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2026/04/23/russia-s-war-of-aggression-against-ukraine-20th-round-of-stern-eu-sanctions-hits-energy-military-industrial-complex-trade-and-financial-services-including-crypto/

It is not just the Russians that the EU wants to monitor crypto. Notice the following:

In the European Union (EU), the implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) is progressing, with particular attention on the regimes for asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens. As the first phases take effect, market participants are adapting to authorisation requirements, reserve composition and segregation rules, governance and disclosure obligations, and constraints applicable to significant tokens. Operational readiness and compliance roadmaps remain front of mind as firms align to the MiCAR timetable. …
“During 2026, Europe’s digital asset debate will shift decisively from drafting to delivering supervisory outcomes. In the EU, MiCAR for stablecoins will move from initial authorisations to assertive, convergent supervision led by the EBA and ESMA, with a premium on reserve quality, redemption at par and robust governance – especially for ‘significant’ tokens. Tokenised money market funds will grow where managers treat tokenisation as market plumbing modernisation: UCITS/AIFMD and the MMFR will continue to define liquidity, valuation and depositary controls, while issuance, transfer and record keeping migrate on chain – typically on permissioned rails – to safeguard settlement finality and client asset protections. https://legal.pwc.de/en/services/pwc-legals-eu-regulatory-compliance-operations/pwcs-global-crypto-regulation-report?

Yes, the EU is regulating crypto and is not done.

While many see Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a way to have financial privacy, the European Union wants that to stop:

EU to ban anonymous crypto accounts and privacy coins by 2027
The European Union is set to impose sweeping Anti-Money Laundering (AML) rules that will ban privacy-preserving tokens and anonymous cryptocurrency accounts from 2027.
Under the new Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR), credit institutions, financial institutions and crypto asset service providers (CASPs) will be prohibited from maintaining anonymous accounts or handling privacy-preserving cryptocurrencies, such as Monero.
“Article 79 of the AMLR establishes strict prohibitions on anonymous accounts […]. Credit institutions, financial institutions, and crypto-asset service providers are prohibited from maintaining anonymous accounts,” according to the AML Handbook, published by European Crypto Initiative (EUCI). …
“The regulations (the AMLR, AMLD and AMLAR) are final, and what remains is the ‘fine print’ — aka the interpretation of some of the requirements through the so-called implementing and delegated acts,” according to Vyara Savova, senior policy lead at the EUCI.
She added that much of the implementation will come through so-called implementing and delegated acts, which are mostly handled by the European Banking Authority:
“This means that the EUCI is still actively working on these level two acts by providing feedback to the public consultations, as some of the implementation details are yet to be finalized.”
“However, the broader framework is final, so centralized crypto projects (CASPs under MiCA) need to keep it in mind when determining their internal processes and policies,” Savova said. 05/02/25 https://cointelegraph.com/news/eu-crypto-ban-anonymous-privacy-tokens-2027

The idea of somehow regulating cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin is something that long-term readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page have been tipped off about for over a decade.

Back in 2013, I posted the following:

There were some interesting comments about Bitcoin in the news from Ron Paul …
December 4, 2013
Imagine a world in which you can buy anything in secret. No banks. No fees. No worries inflation will make today’s money worth less tomorrow.
The digital currency Bitcoin promises all these things. And while it’s far from achieving any of them — its value is unstable and it’s rarely used — some have high hopes.
“There will be alternatives to the dollar, and this might be one of them,” said former U.S. congressman Ron Paul. If people start using bitcoins en masse, “it’ll go down in history as the destroyer of the dollar,” Paul added. http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/04/technology/bitcoin-libertarian/index.html
There is no way governments will intentionally allow a system that gets around all of their financial espionage. China is starting to publicly state that, and the government of USA has also begun to try to figure out how to handle Bitcoin (Congress has held one or more hearings). That being said, since China wants to eliminate the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency, despite is announcement today, it may continue to make some accommodations for Bitcoin and/or anything else that could reduce US dollar trade.
Related to financial controls, there are some who believe that Bitcoin will become fully regulated/taken over to the point that it will be associated with the ‘mark of the beast.’ Here is one such comment:
If I’m allowed to get Biblical…”Rich man or poor man, free or bond, will not be allowed to buy or sell unless he accepts the mark of the beast.”
Bitcoin is a very smooth end run to achieve that objective.
Here is another related item:
MARK OF THE BEAST WATCH! Canada to get world’s first Bitcoin ATM…
The ATMs will use palm scans to identify users and enforce the limit, which is also designed to prevent problems with anti-money-laundering laws. http://ppsimmons.blogspot.com/2013/10/mark-of-beast-watch-canada-to-get.html
The “mark of the beast” scripture is from the Book of Revelation which makes the following statements concerning the financial controls of the coming Beast power:
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)
The Bible is clear that the time is coming when the Beast power will have implemented some type of strong financial control. Thus, it is not likely that Ron Paul’s hope of being able to buy and sell privately with something like Bitcoin will last. The Beast power will not allow it, and it is likely that the USA government will take more steps to try to either stop it or at least secretly spy on it. (Thiel B. Bitcoin, China, NSA, & the Beast. COGwriter, December 5, 2013)

Yes Europe, which will be the source of the Beast, wants Bitcoin regulated. The Europeans also want to eliminate US dollar dominance in the world.

The time of controlling buying and selling-666-is coming.

Some, have long wanted that.

Furthermore, Bitcoin aside, Europe has been in the process of putting together what may become the enforcer of controlling buying and selling. We put together the following video related to that:

9:55

EU Setting Up 666 Enforcer?

The European Union is in the process of establishing the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. This is a major, first-of-its-kind move, with the EU setting up a European-wide prosecutor’s office that will have power to investigate and charge people for financial crimes committed against the EU. It looks like this type of office may end up persecuting those that do not have the mark of the Beast when they “buy or sell” as that will later be considered a financial crime in Europe. What does 666 mean? How has that name be calculated? How can we be certain that this is a prophecy for Europe and not Islam? Is the appointment of this new office of significant prophetic importance? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more by pointing to scriptures, news items, and historical accounts.

Here is a link to the sermonette video: EU Setting Up 666 Enforcer?

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office officially started operations on 1 June 2021 (https://www.eppo.europa.eu/en/background).

Back in 2022, we uploaded the following video:

9:03
EU to be ‘Sheriff’ of BitCoin & Digital Currencies
Will Bitcoin remain unregulated? The European Union does not think it should be and it released a paper titled “Proposal for EU Regulation on Markets in Crypto-Assets.” Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, earlier endorsed EU regulation of crypto and digital currencies. A Belgian declared that the EU was the “new Sheriff in town” to deal with the “wild west” of Bitcoin, blockchain, and other cryptocurrencies. The European Union now also has the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in operation, mainly to deal with financial matters? Will the Europeans end up controlling buying and selling associated with 666 in Revelation 13:16-18? Is Europe taking preliminary steps to do so now? Dr. Thiel address these issues.

Here is a link to our video: EU to be ‘Sheriff’ of BitCoin & Digital Currencies.

Cryptocurrnecies are not going to unregulated.

‘666’ prophecies will come to pass.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Mark of Antichrist What is the mark of Antichrist? What have various ones claimed? Here is a link to a related sermon What is the ‘Mark of Antichrist’?

Mark of the Beast What is the mark of the Beast? Who is the Beast? What have various ones claimed the mark is? What is the ‘Mark of the Beast’?

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.

Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.