MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/. Cryptocurrency mining in Russia should be legalized by assigning a special code to this type of activity, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in an interview with Rossiya-24 TV channel.

"We think that it is necessary to give this type of activity a special code of economic activity and also legalize this type of business," he said.

"As soon as we do this, such issues as identification of participants in this business and taxation will arise. I think that any penny to the budget would be useful," he added.

When asked about the profitability of mining in Russia, the Finance Minister noted that "there are different estimates."

"When preparing the bill, we do not set ourselves any fiscal goals, but it will be a general level of taxation, which, along with legalization, will replenish the treasury of the Russian Federation," the Minister of Finance concluded.

At the end of January, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the government and the Central Bank to come to a consensus on the regulation of cryptocurrencies and report on the results.

The concept of the Finance Ministry provides for the regulation of cryptocurrencies in Russia without their prohibition. The ministry believes that the complete lack of regulation of cryptocurrencies or their ban will lead to destabilization of the industry, an increase in the share of the shadow economy and an increase in fraud, and law enforcement agencies will not be able to effectively respond to crimes, which are committed by using such tools.

On the contrary, the Central Bank proposed banning the issuance, mining and circulation of cryptocurrencies in Russia to reduce such threats.