Belarusians can now shop on Russia’s leading e-commerce platform, Wildberries, using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Tether.
The feature meets legal requirements for such transactions in Belarus, which is updating its regulations in order to facilitate crypto payments for its citizens.
Wildberries accepts cryptocurrencies in Belarus
Russian online retail giant Wildberries is piloting cryptocurrency payments for its Belarusian customers, media reports revealed this week.
The popular platform’s Belarusian website allows users to pay for their orders using electronic certificates which can be bought with a number of major coins.
These are purchased through Whitebird, the first licensed crypto trading venue in Belarus, which is Wildberries’ partner in the trial project.
Founded in 2020, Whitebird is a resident of the Belarus Hi Tech Park (HTP), a hub providing a special legal regime and tax benefits for IT companies and digital asset businesses, and it is authorized to conduct crypto-fiat exchange.
The certificates are denominated in Belarusian rubles and can only be used to pay for items offered by the Russian marketplace.
The feature is currently active in test mode for a pilot group of customers using the Wildberries site and app for iOS and Android, Minskaya Pravda unveiled on Monday. The newspaper noted that the service will gradually be made available to all users.
Crypto payments facilitated by conversion to Belarusian fiat
Users can buy the e-certificates in advance or during the Wildberries checkout. Registration with Whitebird is required, too, in order to top up balances.
Shoppers will be redirected to the exchange’s website, where they can select the cryptocurrency they want to use and the amount they would like to spend.
Conversion rates are updated and displayed to the end user in real time, and no commission will be charged for obtaining the certificates.
As soon as a buyer completes the process, a ruble certificate is issued and its amount credited by Whitebird to their Wildberries account.
The payment option supports a list of popular cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and the U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin Tether (USDT), among others.
Security of payments will be a priority
The two companies have made it clear they are putting an emphasis on ensuring the security of transactions. Only users verified by Whitebird will be able to buy the electronic certificates.
The exchange conducts constant anti-money laundering (AML) monitoring, undergoes annual audits by independent firms, and complies with Belarusian AML regulations.
Once loaded to a certificate, the funds cannot be withdrawn to a bank card and can be used exclusively to order from Wildberries.
The latter was launched in 2004 and has since become a popular online shop for clothing, cosmetics, household items, electronics, books, and many other product categories, in Russia as well as in a number of other former Soviet states, from Armenia to Tajikistan.
It was founded by Tatyana Kim while she was looking after her first child with Russian entrepreneur Vladislav Bakalchuk. Kim is considered Russia’s first self-made billionaire woman, with Forbes estimating her net worth at $7.4 billion in 2024.
The crypto option is her company’s first project related to digital assets. The Belarusian daily commented that it will help develop fintech services and payment innovations in the country, while promoting financial inclusion.
Belarus legalized crypto business for HTP residents in 2018 with a presidential decree issued the previous year by the country’s long-term leader, Alexander Lukashenko.
Cryptocurrency payments in neighboring Russia, of which Belarus is a close ally, are strictly prohibited, aside from a special regime, allowing Russian firms to use coins to evade sanctions in foreign trade.
The Belarusian president recently urged relevant authorities to step up efforts to update the nation’s regulatory framework and catch up with its rapidly developing crypto industry.
Crypto payments made by Belarusian citizens are expected to reach $3 billion by the end of 2025, as reported by Cryptopolitan, after already hitting a record high in the first seven months of the year.
