Moscow government explores blockchain voting, Russia's largest bank may participate

Moscow government officials today revealed plans to investigate the use of blockchain technology, according to Russian media Gazeta.ru.

Andrey Belozerov, deputy director of Moscow’s Ministry of Information Technology, said the agency is currently exploring how blockchain can be used for a variety of applications, including preventing election fraud.

(Andrey Belozerov, deputy director of the Moscow Ministry of Information Technology)

According to the news source, one of the proposals would see blockchain technology applied to an e-government voting scheme, allowing active Moscow citizens to participate more in local decision-making.

It is reported that Sberbank of Russia (Russia's largest state-owned commercial bank) may also participate in this event.

The announcement is the latest sign of the Russian government’s interest in blockchain technology.

While the Russian government had previously pushed for a ban on cryptocurrencies, its stance has changed in recent weeks as major financial institutions have shown interest in exploring the application of the technology.