https://news.bitcoin.com/russian-president-vladimir-putin-using-ethereum-vitalik-buterin
At the 2017 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin. Putin also spoke about Russia’s economic reform and the digital economy, while the central bank discussed bitcoin’s taxation and its own digital currency.
An annual event held since 1997, SPIEF is attended by business and finance leaders in Russia and from all around the world. It is “dedicated to the discussion of key economic issues facing Russia, emerging markets and the world in general,” states the official website of the President of Russia. The theme of this year’s forum, held from June 1 to June 3, is “In search of a new balance in the global economy.”
Buterin was a speaker in the session called “Blockchain – the birth of the new economy” and a panelist in the session called “The explosive impact of blockchain technology.” First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov and Central Bank Deputy Governor Olga Skorobogatova were also panelists in the same session.
https://news.bitcoin.com/russian-president-vladimir-putin-using-ethereum-vitalik-buterin
Craig Grant back story @ https://sercee.wordpress.com