Market News

BY  Anna Baydakova

Belarusbank, one of the largest credit institutions in Belarus, has partnered with OTC broker White Bird to offer a bitcoin buying service, according to an announcement Monday.

For now, purchases will be available via bank cards issued in Belarus and Russia (the two countries’ financial systems are well connected). But going forward, the bank is planning to sell cryptocurrency in other neighboring countries, such as Ukraine, Georgia and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) nations.

According to Belarusbank spokesperson Alexei Kulik, users will be able to withdraw bitcoin (BTC, +2.45%) to their wallets “with no intermediaries whatsoever.” The service will function using White Bird’s online infrastructure.

Litecoin (LTC, +13.41%) and ether are expected to be added to the service soon, Kulik told CoinDesk via email.

Belarus officially legalized crypto transactions in 2018. Bitcoin has become a key tool for distributing help to Belarusians who lost their jobs during protests against President Alexander Lukashenko that have been rocking the country since mid-August.