How do presidents of different countries relate to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology?

Andrew Yang, a Democratic candidate in the presidential election of 2020, became the first politician to start accepting donations for the election campaign in cryptocurrency. To do this, you need to fill out a voter form, after which the wallet address appears to transfer funds, writes Asiacryptotoday .

These are the steps of the presidential candidate, but how do the current heads of state relate to cryptocurrencies ?

Bill Clinton, United States

The former US president sees potential in new technologies that he considers truly breakthrough:

“The blockchain industry has great potential because it can be used regardless of state borders and revenues. The prospects for cryptoindustrial are colossal. ”

It is worth noting that Bill Clinton received the first Bitcoin (BTC) in 2016 at a conference in Washington, which was presented by Matthew Roszak, a venture capital investor and entrepreneur.

Nicholas Maduro, Venezuela

If we talk about world leaders supporting digital currencies, Venezuelan President first comes to mind: Maduro recently announced the official launch of Petro, the national oil-backed cryptocurrency, which should help the country cope with the consequences of American sanctions.

Petro was launched at the end of February, from August 20, wages and prices in Venezuela are tied to cryptocurrency, one Petro was worth $ 60. According to Maduro, the emission of a token created on the NEM blockchain was 100 million coins.

Ivan Duque Marquez, Colombia

The newly elected president of Colombia wants his country to play a prominent role in the cryptocurrency market, he called the crypto company into the country and promised to create a favorable environment for them. Before joining politics, Duke worked at a bank, so he is convinced that blockchain technology can help the country cope with flourishing corruption.

The president said that companies operating in the field of information and communication technologies and creating new jobs will be exempted from taxes for the first five years.

A blockchain association has already been established in Colombia, the purpose of which is to promote the development of blockchain technologies and thoughtful regulation of the industry.

Joseph Muscat, Malta

Recently, Malta has become an important center for the development of cryptocurrency, offering blockchain startups the most friendly environment. In July, the Parliament of Malta adopted three laws aimed at simplifying the trade in cryptocurrencies, becoming, thanks to this, the first country in the world to have formal legislation in the field of cryptocurrencies and blockchains. In addition, the Maltese Stock Exchange plans to open trading in digital assets.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that cryptocurrency in Malta is under the constant control of the state, the activities of ICO projects are officially allowed, and digital and fiat currencies are "equal."

Muscat stressed that the advantages of the blockchain are not limited only to the elimination of intermediaries in the payments sector, it can bring great progress in the field of health care, trade, etc.

Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus

Belarus is turning into a “cryptocurrency tax haven”, for which, in December 2017, Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree on tax breaks and economic incentives for technological startups. Until 2023, companies can be located in the country's technoparks, zones with minimal taxes.

After signing a presidential decree, more than 100 startups have already been created in the country, and this year Mtbank, the largest Belarusian bank, has started offering its customers contracts for Bitcoin Price Difference (CFD).

Vladimir Putin, Russia

President Putin said that Russia, by definition, cannot have its own cryptocurrency, since any cryptocurrency goes beyond specific states. In addition, he added that digital currencies should be treated very carefully:

“The central bank believes that cryptocurrency cannot be a means of payments, settlements, savings, as they are not secured by anything. All this suggests that we must treat them very carefully. "

At the same time, Vladimir Putin did not rule out that cryptocurrencies can help avoid restrictions in international financial activities. The President noted that, despite all this, the authorities must learn to use this tool.

It is known that Putin had previously met with the creator of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, to discuss this topic.