Belarus to put Bitcoin in people’s pockets through crypto banking
The post Belarus to put Bitcoin in people’s pockets through crypto banking appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
After recently legalizing crypto banks, Belarus is now promising its citizens an array of services that should let them earn, stake and spend cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. A top central bank executive spoke in detail about the coin-based products that may hit the market as early as this year, with the nation awaiting the birth of its first crypto banking institution in 2026. Belarusian crypto banks to issue cards and loans backed by Bitcoin Belarusians may soon be able to pay with cryptocurrency in brick-and-mortar stores and borrow fiat money using their digital assets as collateral. That’s according to Alexander Egorov, first deputy chairman of the National Bank (NBRB), who pulled the curtain on some of the crypto banking services his compatriots may expect in the coming months. Speaking to the government-run First Information Channel, the central bank official emphasized that Belarus is the world’s first country to officially introduce crypto banks to its national financial system. If not a global leader in that respect, Belarus certainly became the first country in its region to legalize the operations of such institutions last month. It did that via a special decree signed by its long-term president, Alexander Lukashenko. Unlike Switzerland or the U.S., where crypto banks are private entities under regulatory approval, Belarus is establishing a comprehensive crypto banking system under state control, explained Egorov. This system should offer “tangible services” for everyone, the official BelTA news agency relayed his statements, noting that the first Belarusian crypto bank may open in 2026. The deputy governor gave an example with crypto-secured loans, which offer crypto investors an opportunity to use fiat credit while preserving their digital-asset investment: “Imagine this – you have Bitcoin, which is rising in value … You deposit the coins into a crypto bank as collateral. The bank issues you…
Filed under: News - @ February 18, 2026 3:29 pm