Anna Baydakova

Anna writes about blockchain projects and regulation with a special focus on Eastern Europe and Russia. She is especially excited about stories on privacy, cybercrime, sanctions policies and censorship resistance of decentralized technologies.
She graduated from the Saint Petersburg State University and the Higher School of Economics in Russia and got her Master's degree at Columbia Journalism School in New York City.
She joined CoinDesk after years of writing for various Russian media, including the leading political outlet Novaya Gazeta.
Anna owns BTC and an NFT of sentimental value.

Anna Baydakova

Latest from Anna Baydakova


Consensus Magazine

Wanted Russian Parliament Member May Own a Crypto Broker in Moscow: Report

Local media connected Andrei Lugovoi, a Russian politician wanted for serious crimes in the U.K., to a cash-based OTC in Moscow.

Andrei Lugovoi (Alexey Maishev/Epsilon/Getty Images)

Opinion

Crypto 2023: It's Sanctions Season

With state governments increasing financial sanctions in 2022, crypto services might become as cautious about "risky" users as banks have been traditionally, says Anna Baydakova.

(Getty Images)

Policy

Leader of Suspected Russian Ponzi Scheme Is Arrested in UAE: Report

Edvard Sabirov's arrest leaves just one of the four known leaders of the Finiko fund at large.

(De izquierda a derecha) Marat Sabirov, Kirill Doronin y Edvard Sabirov, fundadores de Finiko. (YouTube)

Consensus Magazine

Guns, Ammo and Crypto: How A Ukraine Minister May Have Forever Altered Wars

The government of Ukraine has raised an unprecedented $178 million in crypto for its defense. That’s why Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

"Mykhailo Fedorov Defends" (Osinachi/CoinDesk)

Layer 2

Ukrainian Government Puts Binance Payment Service Integration on Hold

The move has upset local crypto exchanges and entrepreneurs, who have shown their displeasure by blocking BNB trades on their platforms.

Ukranian Flag (Getty Images)

Tech

Bitcoin Wallet of the Failed BTC-e Exchange Wakes Up

Someone transferred 10,000 BTC from a previously sleeping wallet identified as holding the treasury of the failed BTC-e exchange.

(Midjourney/CoinDesk)

Layer 2

Ukrainian Official Refutes FTX-Ukraine Money Laundering Rumors

The deputy crypto chief of Ukrainian government says war-torn country used FTX only as a fiat on-ramp.

From left To right: Rev Miller, Atlantis World co-founder; Alex Bornyakov, Ukraine’s deputy minister for Digital Transformation, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin 
(Kyiv Tech Summit)

Tech

David Chaum Rolls Out Privacy-Protecting CBDC Technology

The “godfather of cryptocurrency” suggested a CBDC design for a pilot with the Swiss National Bank.

David Chaum (Horacio Villalobos-Corbis/Getty Images)

Policy

Bank of Russia Suggests NFT, Smart Contract Regulation

Russia's central bank suggested detailed framework for trading digital assets.

Russian flag (Egor Filin/Unsplash)