Russian Pension Fund Sees Surge in Crypto Queries as Mining Debate Intensifies
Russia's Social Fund handled approximately 37 million inquiries in 2025, with cryptocurrency-related questions dominating alongside traditional benefit requests. Citizens pressed officials on whether pensions could be paid in digital assets and if mining income WOULD factor into social benefit calculations—prompting clarifications that state payments remain ruble-denominated.
The unprecedented volume reflects Russia's accelerating crypto adoption, where mining now generates nearly 1 billion rubles daily. Regulatory frameworks remain in flux ahead of mid-2026 implementation deadlines, creating widespread uncertainty.
Political momentum grows around mining income recognition, with senior Kremlin official Maxim Oreshkin advocating to classify crypto mining as export activity. His argument hinges on mined assets effectively flowing abroad despite never crossing physical borders—a stance that could reshape Russia's trade accounting.
