TLDR
- Russian exchanges can offer crypto trading from Nov. 22 if the central bank approves their rules.
- Retail investors can buy Bitcoin, Ether and USDT, up to 300,000 rubles a year per intermediary.
- Qualified investors face no annual purchase cap.
- Moscow Exchange plans to start crypto trading on Dec. 1.
- Crypto payments inside Russia remain banned.
Russia has cleared its domestic exchanges to begin cryptocurrency trading from Nov. 22. Each exchange must first get the Bank of Russia to approve its trading rules. Interfax reported the news on Nov. 11.
Russian Central Bank: Exchanges May Conduct Crypto Trading from November 22, Subject to Prior Approval of Trading Rules
According to TASS, the Bank of Russia said Russian exchanges may begin offering cryptocurrency trading from November 22, 2026, provided they first agree on… pic.twitter.com/txoYyq5vfL
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) November 11, 2026
The Ministry of Justice registered a central bank directive that sets the requirements for organized crypto trading. The directive lets exchanges offer crypto through the country’s existing financial market system. Exchanges cannot start until their operating rules are agreed with the regulator.
What Exchanges Must Do Before Launch
Exchanges must set up ways to register brokers, trust managers and central counterparties. These are the firms involved in crypto transactions. Trading organizers must also keep separate records of orders and completed trades.
Platforms must calculate current prices, weighted average prices, market prices and closing prices for each supported coin. They must also report trading activity and results to the central bank. They will use the same reporting process that applies to other financial products.
The central bank first described similar requirements in July. That earlier draft covered organized trading, price calculations and the work of digital depositories. The new directive puts crypto under the same supervision as other regulated Russian exchanges.
Who Can Buy and How Much
The Bank of Russia announced on Nov. 6 that Bitcoin, Ether and Tether’s USDT are approved for retail investors. That list takes effect on Nov. 17. Exchanges can admit the three coins for public trading from that date.
Retail investors without qualified status can buy up to 300,000 rubles of crypto per year through each intermediary. That is about $3,700. Intermediaries include brokers, trust managers and registered crypto exchange providers.
Qualified investors face no such limit. They can also trade a wider range of cryptocurrencies. Both groups must pass a knowledge test and review the risks before they trade.
The central bank chose the retail coins using market size, average daily trading volume and price history. Each coin needed at least five years of pricing on foreign exchanges.
Russia’s law on digital currencies took effect on Sept. 1. It created roles for existing financial firms, crypto exchange providers and digital depositories. Depositories record ownership and transfers of digital assets.
In October, the central bank approved its first operators. They include four crypto exchange providers and five digital depositories. Sberbank and VTB are among the registered firms.
Registered exchange providers can buy and sell digital currencies on their own behalf outside organized trading. All registered firms must fully meet the new law by Sept. 1, 2027.
The Bank of Russia still bans crypto payments inside the country. It allows approved cross-border settlements.
Moscow Exchange, the country’s largest securities exchange, plans to launch crypto trading on Dec. 1. It has been testing transactions with professional market participants. It will support Bitcoin, Ether and USDT.
Trading hours are expected to run from 6:50 a.m. to 11:50 p.m. Moscow time. Brokers will give investors access to the platform. A partner digital depository will handle custody and settlement.
Boris Blokhin, a senior director at Moscow Exchange, said in October that firms would open accounts at that depository. The exchange expects to operate under its current permissions, without a separate crypto license.
