[Can Cryptocurrency Be Used to Pay Pensions? A Popular Non-Standard Inquiry for the Russian Social Fund] BlockBeats News, January 11: In 2025, the Russian Social Fund's (Social Fund of Russia) customer service hotline handled approximately 37 million calls, most of which were routine inquiries (such as pensions, social benefits, etc.). However, among the non-standard questions, inquiries related to cryptocurrency surged, becoming one of the most common topics. The most popular crypto-related questions included whether pensions could be received in cryptocurrency and whether mining income would affect the calculation of social benefits. The Russian Social Fund explicitly responded that all pensions and social payments are currently issued only in rubles, and digital assets are not within the jurisdiction of the Social Fund. Issues related to crypto income and taxation are handled by the Federal Tax Service of Russia. According to a report by Chainalysis, Russia has become the largest cryptocurrency market in Europe, surpassing the United Kingdom and Germany. From July 2024 to June 2025, Russia received $376.3 billion in cryptocurrency inflows, a year-on-year increase of 48%, far exceeding the United Kingdom's $273.2 billion. Large transactions increased by 86% year-on-year, and DeFi activity grew eightfold in 2025.