Golden Finance reports that Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Wednesday that after legislative adjustments allowed the use of Bitcoin and other digital currencies to cope with Western sanctions, Russian companies have begun using these currencies for international payments. This year, Russia permitted the use of cryptocurrencies in foreign trade and has taken steps to legalize cryptocurrency mining, including Bitcoin. Russia is one of the leading countries in global Bitcoin mining. Siluanov said: "Such transactions are already taking place. We believe that such transactions should be further expanded and developed. I believe this will happen next year." He also added that digital currencies used for international payments represent a future trend.