Russia's ninth-largest bank, Sovcombank, announced that it is offering Bitcoin-backed loans to individuals and businesses legally holding digital assets, claiming to be the first major bank in Russia to launch this product. However, state-owned giant Sberbank had already issued similar loans in a pilot program to mining company Intelion Data back in December 2025. Despite ongoing regulatory uncertainty, the scale of crypto asset-backed lending remains limited. Still, Russian banks are accelerating their exploration of 'crypto-for-liquidity' financing models to meet the needs of mining companies and crypto-holding businesses seeking funds without selling their digital assets. (CoinDesk) https://www.(wublock123.com)/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=6&id=56262