The Central Bank of the Russian Federation has called for the legalization of trading in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether (USDT)
The Bank of Russia has drafted a directive proposing to include Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the stablecoin Tether (USDT) in the list of cryptocurrencies authorized for trading on Russian exchanges. The selection was based on the length of trading history abroad, average daily trading volume, and market capitalization.
The initiative was developed as part of the implementation of the “On Digital Currency” law, which takes effect on September 1, 2026. The law legalizes the trading of crypto assets through regulated exchanges, brokers, and crypto exchanges, but maintains a ban on the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment within the country.
For unqualified investors, mandatory testing and an annual limit of 300,000 rubles on the purchase of digital assets through a single intermediary are being introduced. At the same time, experts and representatives of the banking sector are warning of the risks of Tether Limited freezing USDT at the request of U.S. authorities, while Rosfinmonitoring will tighten control over transactions of 1 million rubles or more, requiring mandatory customer identification under KYC principles.
This was reported by The Moscow Times.
Russian cryptocurrency holders are being warned about the risk of having their assets frozen in the USDT stablecoin—one of the most widely used digital currencies in the world. According to experts, access to such funds may be restricted by a decision of the U.S. administration, and similar cases have already been recorded involving large assets held by users from Russia and Iran.
The State Duma has allowed Russians to invest in cryptocurrency but has banned its use as a means of payment.
