Or the story of how "crypto-friendly" legislation proved useless in practice
TL;DR: I planned to live for a month in Minsk, a city in a country with some of the most progressive crypto legislation in the world, using only Bitcoin. Spoiler alert: the experiment failed on the second day. But I learned a lot of interesting things about how Bitcoin works (and doesn't work) in real life.
Background: why Minsk?
When I read that Belarus had adopted the revolutionary Decree No. 8 "On the Development of the Digital Economy" back in 2017, legalizing cryptocurrencies, I thought I should try it here.
In theory, everything looked perfect:
- Cryptocurrency is completely legal
- You can freely buy, sell, and mine
- Legal crypto exchanges are operating as residents of the HTP (High-Tech Park)
- There are no taxes on transactions through HTP residents
- The country positions itself as the IT hub of Eastern Europe
It seemed that if it were possible to live on Bitcoin in the post-Soviet space, then it would be here.
Experiment budget: 0.035 BTC (~$4,300 at October 2025 exchange rate)
Wallet: Phoenix with Lightning Network
Duration: 30 days
Rules: No fiat. Only BTC and Lightning.
Wallet: Phoenix with Lightning Network
Duration: 30 days
Rules: No fiat. Only BTC and Lightning.
I naively believed that with Lightning Network, I would pay pennies in commission for coffee, and sellers would be happy to accept my sats. The reality turned out to be... different.
Days 1-3: Euphoria and the first disappointment
Day 1: A confident start
The first task of the day: buy coffee.
I opened btcmap.org — a global map of places that accept Bitcoin. In Minsk, there were... zero points on the map. Not a single one. Strange, but I didn't think much of it, because in the CIS, people generally try not to advertise such things.
I went to the nearest coffee shop in the city center. It was a trendy place with lots of IT guys, so they should understand the topic.
"Good afternoon! Do you accept Bitcoin?"
[The barista looks at me like I'm an alien].
"What?"
"Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency. Lightning Network?"
"Sorry, only cards or cash."
[The barista looks at me like I'm an alien].
"What?"
"Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency. Lightning Network?"
"Sorry, only cards or cash."
Okay. Next coffee shop. Same result. And three more after that.
Result of the first day: I didn't buy any coffee. But I found out that no café in the center of Minsk accepts Bitcoin. Not a single one.
Day 2:
On the second day, I decided to take a systematic approach. I started calling restaurants and stores and asking questions in local crypto community chat rooms. The answers were all the same:
"We'd love to, but it's illegal."
Wait. Illegal? But crypto is legal in Belarus, isn't it?
That's when I decided to study the legislation more carefully.
Legislative paradox: you can do everything with crypto except the most important thing
What the law actually says
Yes, Decree No. 8 of 2017 legalized cryptocurrencies. Here is what individuals are allowed to do:
✅ Own tokens (cryptocurrency)
✅ Store them in virtual wallets
✅ Mine
✅ Buy and sell for fiat through HTP residents
✅ Exchange tokens for other tokens
✅ Give and bequeath
✅ Store them in virtual wallets
✅ Mine
✅ Buy and sell for fiat through HTP residents
✅ Exchange tokens for other tokens
✅ Give and bequeath
Cool, right? But there's a catch.
Key phrase from the legislation:
> "The law prohibits receiving income in digital units for services rendered or goods sold, as cryptocurrency is not a means of payment in Belarus."
> "The law prohibits receiving income in digital units for services rendered or goods sold, as cryptocurrency is not a means of payment in Belarus."
That is:
- Buying Bitcoin — allowed
- Selling Bitcoin — allowed
- Paying for coffee with Bitcoin — not allowed
- Accepting Bitcoin for goods — not allowed
Decree No. 367: the final nail in the coffin
In September 2024, Presidential Decree No. 367 "On the circulation of digital tokens" was issued, which further tightened the situation:
❌ Prohibited: buying and selling cryptocurrency for cash outside of HTP resident platforms
❌ Prohibited: P2P transactions between individuals for fiat currency
❌ Administrative liability for violating these rules
❌ Prohibited: P2P transactions between individuals for fiat currency
❌ Administrative liability for violating these rules
This means you cannot:
- Meet with someone and buy/sell crypto for cash
- Pay with Bitcoin in a store
- Accept Bitcoin as payment if you are a seller
But you can... trade on foreign exchanges (Binance, Bybit) and exchange crypto for crypto anywhere. Then, to withdraw to fiat, you must go through the Belarusian resident exchange HTP.
For my experiment, this meant one thing: it is legally impossible to live on Bitcoin for a month in Minsk.
As you might guess, all other methods, such as crypto cards or legal exchange through residents of the high-tech park, are not at all what I had hoped for.
And the whole process turns from a pleasure into a quest.
Agreements with individual sellers
Theoretically, it is possible to find someone willing to accept Bitcoin directly. However:
❌ This violates Decree No. 367 — transactions between individuals outside the HTP are prohibited.
❌ Administrative liability for both parties.
❌ Risk of fraud — there is no protection for the transaction
❌ Risk of fraud — there is no protection for the transaction
I met a couple of people from the local Bitcoin community who agreed to exchange BTC for goods or services. But each of them emphasized: "This is a gray area, we are taking a risk."
The experiment ended before it even really began.
What I was able to buy directly with BTC without conversion
For the entire month, there were exactly two direct Bitcoin payments:
- VPN subscription — Mullvad VPN accepts BTC/LN
- ppq.ai — access to various LLMs
But none of this applies to shopping in Minsk specifically.
The paradox of Belarusian crypto legislation
Belarus:
- ✅ Legalized crypto earlier than most countries
- ✅ Created the HTP and attracted crypto exchanges
- ✅ Permitted mining
- ✅ Exempted from taxes (until 2025)
But:
- ❌ Prohibited its use as a means of payment
- ❌ Controls all fiat transactions
- ❌ Did not provide businesses with tools for accepting it
Conclusion: Cryptocurrency is legal for speculation, but not for use. Mass adoption is delayed