Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most closed nations, legalizes crypto mining and exchanges

Advertisement

Advertise with us

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most isolated nations, officially legalized mining and exchanging cryptocurrency on Thursday in a major shift for the country's tightly controlled, gas-dependent economy.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/01/2026 (279 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most isolated nations, officially legalized mining and exchanging cryptocurrency on Thursday in a major shift for the country’s tightly controlled, gas-dependent economy.

Signed by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the legislation regulating virtual assets brings cryptocurrencies under civil law and establishes a licensing scheme for cryptocurrency exchanges overseen by the country’s central bank.

However, digital currencies will still not be recognized as a means of payment, currency, or security. Turkmenistan’s internet also remains tightly regulated and controlled by the government.

Turkmenistan, a former Soviet country in Central Asia, relies heavily on the export of its vast natural gas reserves to support its economy. China is the country’s main importer of gas, and Turkmenistan is currently working on a pipeline to supply gas to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

Turkmenistan also adopted a law introducing electronic visas in April last year, aimed at simplifying entry for foreigners. After gaining independence in 1991, the autocratic nation typically placed strict entry requirements on would-be visitors, with many visa applications turned down for unclear reasons.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Michael Douglas comes to terms with fears, fame, father

Hillel Italie 6 minute read Preview

Michael Douglas comes to terms with fears, fame, father

Hillel Italie 6 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

NEW YORK — Michael Douglas, the award-winning actor and producer, recently turned 82. He is a cancer survivor, a recovered addict, a married man, the father and son of actors.

He is also an author, who begins his memoir with a message of thanks to his family — past and present and future — for the “sense of immortality.”

“Many times my father was asked, ‘Kirk, are you jealous of your son?’” he said during a recent interview at a Manhattan hotel, referring to his late father, fellow actor and sometime combatant Kirk Douglas.

“And he said, ‘Jealous?’ This is a sense of immortality, a continuity of generations.’”

Read
2:01 AM CDT

Youth centre library cancellation baffles

Editorial 4 minute read Preview

Youth centre library cancellation baffles

Editorial 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

It’s difficult to understand why Manitoba Corrections would shut down a library program that cost taxpayers nothing, was popular with young inmates and was designed to help them learn.

Read
2:00 AM CDT

Jets trending in right direction after picking up points in first three games

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Jets trending in right direction after picking up points in first three games

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Yesterday at 5:06 PM CDT

Welcome to a small sample size season, when sweeping observations and hot takes can quickly become outdated and — occasionally — out of touch.

With that as a cautionary backdrop, the Winnipeg Jets are off to a 2-0-1 start that has them temporarily occupying top spot in the Central Division.

“We were optimistic that we’re a better team than we showed last year,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “We want to play fast. We want to compete hard, and we want to give ourselves a chance to win every night, so I think we’ve done that.”

As the Jets welcome the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday to open a three-game homestand, they’ve gotten off to a fast start in a season that required one.

Read
Yesterday at 5:06 PM CDT

Don’t let pyjama jibes sour your bedtime bond

Maureen Scurfield 4 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I got married in August and my new husband just bought himself old-man striped flannel pyjamas to wear to bed now that it’s getting colder out. He didn’t do this before we were married. What a turn-off. Should I buy him a nightcap as well?

He used to be a sexy guy who just dumped his clothes on the chair beside the bed and jumped in naked.

But last night I watched him come out of the bathroom in a ratty old robe. I thought, “He looks like my grandfather, not my husband.”

I called out sarcastically, “Hey, gramps, are you lost?” and he said, “Not anymore.” Then he walked into the spare bedroom and slept there all night without me. Help.

Three Manitoba nurses censured for inappropriate behaviour

Morgan Modjeski 3 minute read Monday, Oct. 5, 2026

A Manitoba nurse has been disciplined for inappropriate behaviour towards students including what is being described as unwanted touching.

Amazon in the weeds over damage to tall grass reserve

Eva Wasney 6 minute read Preview

Amazon in the weeds over damage to tall grass reserve

Eva Wasney 6 minute read Yesterday at 6:00 AM CDT

Patricia Dutchak was devastated when she first saw the wide swaths of crushed grass and upturned soil at Winnipeg’s Rotary Prairie Nature Park, a municipal heritage site.

“This is a very rare ecosystem, a remnant of tall grass prairie, there’s barely any left in the world, and to come here and see all this damage was heartbreaking,” Dutchak, chair of the Transcona Rotary Club’s parks committee, says.

The club is responsible for maintaining the protected green space, which was significantly damaged this summer when a fence between the park and the neighbouring Amazon distribution centre was relocated.

The 20-acre nature preserve is situated on a narrow tract of land on Regent Avenue West in the commercial heart of Transcona. The park received its municipal heritage designation in 1992 and is, today, surrounded by high-traffic streets, industrial warehouses and car dealerships.

Read
Yesterday at 6:00 AM CDT