Don't want to trade it yourself?
Our desk runs DEX portfolios on profit share.
BTCLIVE
BTC price on Oct 13, 2026 at 7am EDT
$83,400 or above1.67x60%
$83,500 or above2.56x39%
Russia’s leading bank, Sberbank, has received approval from the Bank of Russia to provide cryptocurrency exchange services. Sberbank is a new player in the licensed Russian cryptocurrency space. The Bank of Russia announced Sberbank’s registration on October 12, as
The registration follows the inclusion of Sberbank in the digital depository registry in October. Two entries for Sberbank in the registry reflect different cryptocurrency-related business activities: trading and storage of digital assets. Sberbank will start providing cryptocurrency-related products and services on December 1, 2026.
- Sberbank Crypto Exchange to Use Existing Banking Apps
- Russian Crypto Rules Set Investor Limits and Compliance Duties
Sberbank Crypto Exchange to Use Existing Banking Apps
Instead of launching a new service for clients, the bank intends to provide similar services on other existing banking platforms, including SberBank Online and SberInvestments, and SberBusiness business services. Earlier reports listed Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether’s USDT▼$0.9996 as other cryptocurrencies that may be offered at launch.
Sberbank has been preparing the required infrastructure for a while. In July, First Deputy Chairman Alexander Vedyakhin said the bank would complete a digital depository by December. Other details about the project include services such as managing property rights and other non-public blockchain-related processes and keeping clients’ digital wallets to facilitate deposits and withdrawals.
The bank is also exploring lending services with cryptocurrency. In August, Deputy Chairman Anatoly Popov told media that Sberbank was considering accepting BTC▲$77,666.00, ETH▲$2,518.27, and USDT as collateral for loans, pending regulatory approval. In December 2025, Sberbank issued a loan to Intelion Data, a data analytics firm, collateralized by Bitcoin. The bank’s cryptocurrency lending plans are separate from its plans to become a cryptocurrency exchange.
Russian Crypto Rules Set Investor Limits and Compliance Duties
Under the central bank system, registered market participants can buy and sell digital currencies for their own account on an unregulated basis. Digital depositories have other reporting and recordkeeping requirements related to addresses used on blockchain networks for transactions.
Interfax reported that nine exchange operators had been registered as of October 12. Five digital depositories have also been registered. Registered exchange operators and other entities must follow trading and recordkeeping requirements. Certain registered entities have until September 1, 2027, to meet all requirements under a special transitional regime.
Retail investment in digital currencies is restricted. Investments of 300,000 rubles or less per year in eligible digital currencies through a broker are allowed for nonaccredited retail investors. Other restrictions apply. Testing requirements apply to qualified and non-qualified investors. Qualified investors are not subject to the 300,000-ruble limit.
Russia opposes using cryptocurrencies to buy consumer goods and other products and services in Russia but allows their use for cross-border payments under central bank supervision. Russia’s Moscow Exchange announced plans to begin cryptocurrency transactions on December 1.
International sanctions are in place. The U.S. government imposed blocking sanctions on Sberbank in 2022. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control website notes that transactions involving virtual currencies are subject to sanctions in addition to cash transactions. Most U.S. persons are prohibited from conducting financial transactions with sanctioned entities without a license.
Source: bitcoinfoundation.org