Ukraine aspires to become the world‘s bitcoin capital

<p>Michael Chobanian, a 37-year-old buccaneer schooled in a British private school, is fluent in both English and the folkways of Ukraine, which he views as a mainly lawless frontier that he enjoys traversing in his black Ferrari 612. He is the founder of Kuna, one of the earliest cryptocurrency exchanges in Eastern Europe. To him, his native nation is an excellent place to establish a business, provided you have the confidence to navigate a crooked system. </p> <p>Among the benefits, he argues in his office overlooking the Dnieper River, is a level of liberty not seen in developed countries in hundreds of years. </p> <p>For instance, it is possible to get away with murder. </p> <p>"In this country, you can murder someone and not face prosecution if you have enough money and connections," he explained as he sipped tea on a sumptuous leather sofa. "If you are not connected, you will pay a higher price." </p> <p>Ukraine's anything-goes culture has tormented the country for years, and the government is now seeking to bury it, aided by Bitcoin. In early September, the country's Parliament enacted a bill legalising and regulating Bitcoin, the first step in an ambitious push to mainstream the country's growing crypto commerce while also rebranding the entire country. </p> <p>"The overarching goal is to establish Kazakhstan as one of the world's leading jurisdictions for crypto firms," said Alexander Bornyakov, deputy minister of the Ministry of Digital Transformation. "We feel that this is the new economy, that this is the future, and that this is something that will help our economy grow." </p> <p>He's condensed the argument into a 90-second commercial that markets Ukraine in the same way that Apple markets its products. A montage of bakers, executives, nurses, and miscellaneous inhabitants are seen leading contented lives in a type of high-tech heaven, set to a grinding techno backdrop. </p> <p>"We invest in companies and foster their growth," an English-speaking female narrator explains. "Our objective is to