Sberbank gains approval to trade cryptocurrencies in Russia

• Sberbank has secured regulatory approval to offer cryptocurrency trading services in Russia.
• The approval places Russia’s largest bank within the country’s developing regulated crypto market.
• The move signals further integration between traditional banking and digital asset trading under Russian oversight.

Sberbank has secured Russian regulatory approval to exchange cryptocurrencies, clearing a key step before its planned December retail launch.

The Bank of Russia added Sberbank to its crypto exchange register on 12 October, following its earlier digital depository registration.

Sberbank said the approval would let it offer digital currency services through interfaces its customers already use.

The bank plans to launch crypto trading on 1 December through SberBank Online, SberInvestments and SberBusiness.

Sberbank is testing Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Tether (USDT) trading, although the central bank will determine the final list of permitted assets.

Russia’s new framework separates crypto exchange operators, which buy and sell digital currencies, from digital depositories that record asset ownership and transfers.

The rules allow regulated crypto trading but continue to prohibit cryptocurrency payments for goods and services, while transactions must move through registered intermediaries from July 2027.

Following the announcement, Sberbank’s planned crypto launch remains subject to further regulatory requirements, with trading scheduled to begin on 1 December 2026.