Russia’s central bank has finalized rules allowing exchanges to offer Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Tether USDt (USDT) to retail investors starting Nov. 17, according to Cointelegraph’s report published Nov. 7, 2026, at 02:47:45 UTC+8.
The framework channels access through regulated intermediaries while restricting transfers outside that system. According to the Bank of Russia, transfers from regulated digital accounts to self-custody wallets are already banned. Direct peer-to-peer crypto trading will be prohibited starting July 1, 2027. Russia also continues to prohibit cryptocurrency payments for goods and services.
Purchase limits and mandatory testing
Non-qualified investors will be allowed to buy up to 300,000 rubles—around $3,700—in cryptocurrency annually through each intermediary, including brokers, asset managers and crypto exchange providers. The reported limit applies per intermediary, rather than being described as a single aggregate allowance across all providers.
Qualified investors face no purchase limits. All investors, however, must pass a mandatory test before trading.
Regulatory timeline and exchange access
The directive follows legislation signed by President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 4, 2026, establishing a regulated cryptocurrency market under central bank oversight. On Aug. 11, the Bank of Russia published draft regulations identifying BTC, ETH and USDT as eligible for public trading, based on market capitalization, average daily trading volume and at least five years of price history on foreign exchanges.
The law took effect Sept. 1. In October, the central bank authorized Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, to offer crypto exchange services.
Moscow Exchange, the country’s largest securities exchange and a publicly traded company, was preparing to launch cryptocurrency trading on Dec. 1, initially offering the three assets through pilot transactions.
For customers, the key distinction is between access through an authorized intermediary and the ability to move assets into self-custody: the reported framework expands the former while prohibiting transfers from regulated digital accounts to the latter.