Russia to Allow Bitcoin, Ether, Tether Trading on Official Exchanges

Russia to Allow Bitcoin, Ether, Tether Trading on Official Exchanges

Tue, August 11, 2026 at 5:57 PM GMT+3 2 min read

Russia's central bank has proposed allowing Bitcoin (CRYPTO: $BTC), Ethereum (CRYPTO: $ETH), and Tether (CRYPTO: $USDT) to be traded on official Russian exchanges.

The Bank of Russia published the draft rules on Tuesday. The move follows legislation signed by President Vladimir Putin that formally legalized cryptocurrency trading in the country.

Under the proposed framework, both retail and professional investors would have to pass a test before they can trade Bitcoin, Ether or Tether from September 1. Retail investors make up around 98% of Russia's crypto market participants, according to the central bank.

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Retail investors would also face an annual purchase limit of 300,000 rubles ($3,690) through each regulated intermediary. The restrictions would apply to exchanges, brokers, asset managers, and digital depositories operating under the central bank's oversight.

Meanwhile, accredited investors would be able to buy any cryptocurrency available on both exchange and over-the-counter markets, with no purchase limits under the proposed rules.

The central bank said it chose Bitcoin, Ether and Tether because they have at least five years of price history on foreign trading platforms, high liquidity, and a large market capitalization.

Under the new framework, digital assets could be used for cross-border settlements, but businesses and individuals would not be allowed to use cryptocurrencies as a means of payment within Russia.

"Before making any transactions, all investors, regardless of their status, will be required to undergo testing and become familiar with the risks of investing in crypto assets," the country's central bank wrote.

The proposals are open for public feedback until August 24, giving regulators less than two weeks to collect comments before the planned September 1 launch.

Last week, Russian authorities arrested more than 20 people in a crackdown on nine illegal crypto exchange offices in Moscow's financial district, which the FSB claimed were used to convert proceeds from telephone scams into cryptocurrency and move the funds abroad.