Key takeaways:




The Ethereum-based DeFi platform will go live by May of this year, according to plans revealed by the Russian bank Sberbank.





The Russian decentralised financial system, according to Sberbank, should be the greatest in the world after this plan.




According to a local news report, Sberbank, the state-owned bank of Russia, claimed it would launch a DeFi platform in May 2023. The platform, which is presently in closed beta, will be made available for public testing the following month and is anticipated to be completely functional by the end of April.



The phase of its open testing will start in March. Konstantin Klimenko, the product director for Sberbank’s blockchain laboratory, made this announcement.



The executive mentioned that the Ethereum blockchain will be compatible with the blockchain platform, enabling users to move their assets using well-known wallets like MetaMask. Users will be able to migrate their assets from other platforms, according to Klimenko.



“ We have set ourselves a big goal – to make the Russian DeFi ecosystem number one (decentralized finance system – IF). Our network is now operating in the format of closed beta testing. (…) From March 1, we will move to the next phase; it will no longer be beta testing, but open testing. ” 



Critics claim that the system has few practical applications and shares many of the same problems as the cryptocurrency space, such as inadequate regulation, susceptibility to deception, and money laundering, while supporters claim that it might someday decrease banking costs and even replace conventional banks.



Support for the MetaMask crypto wallet has recently been improved by Sber. The implementation of blockchain technology by the bank indicates advancements with DeFi and Web3.



As Russia has not yet developed regulations for digital currencies, it appears to be unclear how the planned site will be controlled. The head of the Duma’s Committee on Financial Market, Anatoly Aksakov, asserts that Russia would “certainly” adopt cryptocurrency rules in 2023.



Klimenko stated that this initiative’s objective is to elevate the Russian DeFi industry to the top. The Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, however, have already mentioned the dangers associated with DeFi.