Anton Kobyakov, an adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, accused the United States of plotting to use stablecoins — and gold — as a vehicle to ease a mounting national debt burden. Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Kobyakov warned the move would be undertaken “at the world’s expense.”
In his comments Kobyakov pointed to the scale of the problem — a claimed $35 trillion of U.S. debt — and said Washington is attempting to “rewrite the rules of the gold and cryptocurrency markets.” He suggested the U.S. could place liabilities into digital tokens and devalue them, effectively restarting its balance sheet using crypto rails.
The claim lands amid growing U.S. engagement with digital assets. This year lawmakers passed the GENIUS Act, creating a clearer framework for issuing and trading stablecoins in the U.S., and senior officials have argued that some digital currencies could reinforce, not replace, dollar dominance. Crypto executives have also speculated that inflationary pressure and rising debt might increase demand for alternatives such as Bitcoin.
Meanwhile, Russia is exploring its own stablecoin projects — including reports of a ruble-backed token on Tron — and has relaxed some rules for cross-border crypto use after banning payments in 2022.
Why it matters: the allegation highlights geopolitical anxiety about how digital assets could be used in national finance. Readers should note this is a political claim rather than a policy announcement; any actual attempt to migrate sovereign debt into stablecoins would face enormous legal, technical and market hurdles. Still, the comments underscore how stablecoins have moved from niche tools to subjects of high-level economic debate.
Source: Decrypt. Read the original coverage for full details.