Sberbank Issues Russia’s First Crypto-Backed Loan to Bitcoin Miner AO Interion Data

The evidence strongly and consistently supports the truthfulness of the statement. All provided sources, without exception, report that Sberbank is studying or considering the possibility of offering loans secured by digital assets. The credibility of this information is very high due to its origin. Multiple high-authority Russian news outlets, including Kommersant, Forbes Russia, and state-owned media, directly attribute the information to a public statement made by Sberbank's Deputy Chairman of the Board, Anatoly Popov. Several sources further specify that this statement was made during an interview with the TASS news agency, a major state-owned news service, adding a clear and verifiable origin to the claim.The consistency across a wide range of media—from top-tier business publications to specialized financial and crypto-focused outlets—corroborates the report. There are no conflicting or contradictory sources provided. The statement claims Sberbank is "considering" this action, and the language in the source summaries ("studying the possibility," "revealed the bank's plans to consider," "exploring crypto-backed lending") directly reflects this exploratory stage, rather than a definitive launch. Therefore, the evidence directly supports the claim as it is worded.