Bank of Russia approves crypto trading for retail investors
Key points
- The Bank of Russia has approved Bitcoin, Ether and Tether for non-qualified investors from 17 November 2026.
- Retail investors face an annual purchase limit of 300,000 rubles per intermediary.
- Qualified investors can access all cryptocurrencies without purchase limits, subject to mandatory testing.
The Bank of Russia has approved Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Tether (USDT) for retail trading from 17 November 2026.
The new rules allow non-qualified investors to purchase cryptocurrencies through brokers, trust managers and exchange offices.
The Bank of Russia requires every investor to pass a knowledge test before completing cryptocurrency transactions.
Non-qualified investors face an annual purchase limit of 300,000 rubles through each individual intermediary.
Qualified investors can access all cryptocurrencies without purchase limits under the approved framework.
The approved list includes only liquid assets meeting regulatory criteria, including market capitalisation and average daily trading volume.
The central bank also assessed cryptocurrency pricing histories, requiring at least five years of foreign exchange data.
The initiative establishes a regulated pathway for retail cryptocurrency access while maintaining purchase limits and investor testing requirements.
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