In brief


BITCOIN INTEREST BY GEOGRAPHY IN MAY
We took a look at the #Bitcoin $BTC #BTC trading volume by countries on @LocalBitcoins in May
Data by @Coin_Dance pic.twitter.com/nde7nDIY1w
— CryptoDiffer (@CryptoDiffer) May 30, 2020
$93,261.00
5.45%$1,777.42
12.36%$2.22
5.79%$617.66
2.80%$148.64
7.12%$0.9999
-0.00%$0.181351
12.15%$0.684731
8.74%$0.247262
0.38%$1,778.43
12.48%$93,216.00
5.46%$22.19
11.15%$14.19
7.24%$2.74
21.75%$9.06
-0.35%$0.266556
6.09%$0.00001377
10.48%$3.14
7.32%$0.180264
5.73%$2,127.07
12.20%$0.999808
-0.01%$362.32
4.96%$84.72
7.00%$18.85
3.25%$4.04
6.70%$4.66
4.35%$0.997334
-0.21%$1,771.81
11.73%$1.00
0.14%$0.646028
2.31%$226.85
5.18%$28.43
0.27%$1,889.97
11.89%$0.00000905
13.59%$93,081.00
5.23%$5.89
10.89%$5.31
7.29%$52.30
2.32%$2.42
9.01%$0.925326
7.04%$337.00
7.02%$23.42
1.20%$5.15
7.42%$32.75
0.27%$16.80
6.99%$0.09228
11.77%$0.097271
11.94%$1.049
0.11%$1.00
0.00%$161.18
12.25%$0.699034
5.56%$4.52
1.53%$0.02564779
8.54%$1.17
0.09%$4.35
6.60%$0.221138
10.84%$92,956.00
5.45%$9.29
11.77%$0.329728
13.19%$4.23
-0.01%$2.75
5.49%$0.210537
8.55%$2.80
7.88%$0.640676
4.65%$0.516353
11.88%$0.998824
0.13%$0.325446
8.11%$4.09
4.67%$93,379.00
5.68%$10.21
3.97%$0.43992
7.25%$0.753974
7.43%$0.817717
6.44%$155.79
7.07%$1,476.17
9.60%$0.076043
5.11%$0.00001523
20.65%$1.15
18.19%$0.630185
32.98%$0.862361
11.95%$1.096
5.60%$1,775.90
12.44%$0.01656453
0.81%$1,845.80
11.78%$69.79
4.33%$0.668184
5.10%$3.65
-0.27%$0.19108
7.25%$9.39
8.31%$0.692344
14.62%$0.999464
0.02%$15.48
6.37%$0.999755
-0.00%$0.089939
7.43%$1,994.63
11.79%$0.997456
-0.18%$3,387.07
-2.45%$1.00
0.06%$616.37
2.61%$92,574.00
5.50%$3,390.79
-2.34%$2.63
15.75%$0.01701918
7.49%$0.01547886
7.85%$191.11
6.91%$93,022.00
5.41%$164.14
7.13%$0.296932
9.24%$0.793827
10.63%$0.189734
10.99%$1,892.81
12.52%$0.118455
10.17%$0.693208
9.89%$3.80
9.68%$0.677158
3.14%$0.997805
0.01%$0.00006819
16.72%$93,979.00
6.90%$0.00000064
4.62%$0.99939
-0.00%$0.01875236
8.90%$0.497309
18.49%$0.392782
5.46%$30.81
5.56%$2.06
6.26%$1.86
10.35%$1.098
1.45%$0.00636027
16.68%$0.237047
4.10%$0.309917
1.63%$3.51
6.61%$0.538787
6.67%$1,853.08
11.78%$16.67
11.25%$0.151007
6.01%$32.79
4.65%$0.549838
5.23%$0.521744
20.27%$0.2079
120.09%$0.00902378
8.09%$0.999795
0.11%$0.536675
23.19%$0.643037
7.55%$90,438.00
12.50%$0.444263
7.01%$0.067324
-2.76%$93,199.00
5.39%$0.723458
25.17%$1.70
5.99%$0.9999
-0.01%$0.180593
11.76%$1.31
6.29%$0.999898
-0.01%$88,321.00
0.00%$0.04461234
23.59%$0.00002204
7.20%$1,792.54
8.71%$15.45
9.26%$0.00687806
34.80%$1,770.12
13.00%$0.00000043
0.82%$110.78
0.01%$0.146134
6.16%$93,174.00
5.69%$2.00
-1.68%$5.88
5.96%$1.006
0.77%$1.084
-0.00%$6.20
9.17%$3.70
5.38%$2.50
9.76%$0.501645
6.74%$0.077478
6.02%$0.04068431
9.28%$43.16
7.92%$1,774.39
12.07%$0.221623
11.17%$1,775.29
12.24%$1,896.08
12.82%$0.082219
6.10%$0.00708541
10.07%$0.460003
14.62%$1,775.88
12.39%$0.312768
11.57%$0.999673
-0.01%$1.00
0.01%$21.84
0.07%$0.576072
11.46%$0.177653
3.00%$1.002
0.19%$0.00413812
-6.23%$0.828639
6.92%$0.00006327
3.58%$0.01734701
0.64%$0.339765
28.90%$0.12485
4.25%$0.99828
-0.36%$1,809.49
13.49%$1.00
0.03%$0.03169483
1.24%$0.00000151
17.94%$2.75
11.05%$0.323741
4.54%$93,046.00
5.43%$1.00
-0.06%$113.21
7.35%$3.63
5.59%$0.140461
-0.01%$0.236576
8.08%$0.636622
14.45%$1.16
5.50%$26.05
6.22%$0.680681
-6.28%$0.285338
27.01%$92,263.00
4.10%$0.628461
10.15%$1,751.61
11.71%$0.999268
0.00%$22.29
5.54%$0.273098
3.64%$3,187.04
0.00%$2.79
2.25%$0.11272
5.43%$0.187047
6.33%$1,774.80
12.04%$1,852.29
10.81%$22.20
11.11%$0.0369803
3.78%$0.510124
6.58%$0.00042308
-3.51%$1,873.72
5.46%$0.00284228
13.92%$0.01272278
6.81%$0.441724
5.59%$0.02924323
4.50%$1.032
10.91%$0.720674
6.87%$0.00353683
55.55%$14.82
5.43%$0.93219
11.37%$1.001
0.07%$0.999698
-0.01%$1,943.37
12.02%$93,691.00
5.41%$2.87
12.59%$2.22
2.91%$0.00
9.90%$1,926.61
11.72%Russia is one of the world's most important Bitcoin markets, but its government seems willing to block blockchain transactions.
Roskomnadzor, Russia's telecommunications services regulator, has blocked access to LocalBitcoins' portal in the country, which is a major source of traffic to the peer-to-peer exchange.
When trying to access localbitcoins.net—a mirror of the .com site focused on serving customers in the country—traders find themselves with a blank page after being censored by the regulator. To access the portal, Russian users must use a VPN that masks their actual location.
So far, Russian traders seem to have remained quite active on LocalBitcoins, and customer ads on the site have not stopped. This could indicate that traders were already prepared for—or used to—this type of censorship.
Which they should have been. LocalBitcoins was previously blocked by Roskomnadzor four years ago. Moreover, last month, Binance announced it too was blocked. However, the site is no longer in the government's blacklist database.
And Russia had telegraphed its intentions earlier this summer, declaring restrictions on access to the LocalBitcoins portal on July 21, 2020, based on the justification that the site could be disseminating illegal information to the public.
That coincided with an overhaul to Russia’s cryptocurrency laws. Though it remains legal to own Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in Russia, they’re now illegal to use for payment.
Despite the government's complicated relationship with Bitcoin, Russians love crypto. The country accounts for almost 20% of LocalBitcoin’s total operations and ranks first in terms of cryptocurrency trading in P2P markets.
BITCOIN INTEREST BY GEOGRAPHY IN MAY
We took a look at the #Bitcoin $BTC #BTC trading volume by countries on @LocalBitcoins in May
Data by @Coin_Dance pic.twitter.com/nde7nDIY1w
— CryptoDiffer (@CryptoDiffer) May 30, 2020
LocalBitcoins has not issued any official statement. Decrypt has requested additional information and will update the news if any response is received.