Russian bankers reportedly want to outlaw noncustodial crypto wallets

cointelegraph.com:

A major Russian banking association wants to criminalize keeping your own cryptocurrency keys.

The Association of Banks of Russia, an organization including more than 300 Russian banks and financial institutions, has called on lawmakers to criminalize storing crypto outside of centralized exchanges on noncustodial wallets, local news agency Izvestia reported on Monday.

In contrast to accounts at centralized crypto exchanges, noncustodial or self-custodial wallets allow users to store crypto without relying on a third party that is able to freeze, block or seize user's crypto assets. This essentially enables investors to “be their own bank” by getting full control over their crypto and the associated private key. 

But the Association of Banks of Russia apparently is not a big fan of letting people control their crypto. The association has developed a framework for foreclosure on crypto stored on noncustodial wallets due to “serious difficulties” of seizing crypto on such wallets from debtors and criminals, the association’s vice president Anatoly Kozlachkov said.

Developed jointly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the framework aims to introduce criminal liability for not storing cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) on noncustodial wallets. The association also proposed to introduce criminal liability for refusing to provide keys to authorized agencies.

The association reportedly sent out a letter with the proposed framework to several agencies and regulators including the Bank of Russia and the Federal Financial Monitoring Service in mid-April.

The bankers admitted that their proposal is complicated by technical difficulties associated with forced access to noncustodial wallets due to the anonymity of owners and the