Russia’s finance committee head says cryptocurrency will never be money

Russia will not recognize cryptocurrencies as legal tender, according to the chairman of an important parliamentary committee.

The statement comes amid efforts to properly regulate investments in crypto assets and derivatives, something Moscow doesn’t mind.

Crypto will not be treated as money in Russia, top lawmaker states

Despite indications it has been using digital coins to bypass sanctions in cross-border trade, Russia has no intentions to recognize them as a means of payment inside its own jurisdiction.

This was made clear by Anatoly Aksakov, who chairs the Financial Markets Committee at the State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament.

Speaking at a press conference, the high-ranking member of the chamber insisted:

“If something is paid for, it can only be paid for in rubles,” Aksakov emphasized, quoted by the TASS news agency on Monday.

His statements echo a long-standing position of regulatory bodies in Moscow, most notably the conservative Central Bank of Russia (CBR).

In October, the monetary authority’s governor, Elvira Nabiullina, categorically rejected the notion that cryptocurrency could be employed for payments in the Russian Federation.

Addressing deputies during a plenary session of the Duma, she noted, however, that Russia has a special legal framework in place permitting the use of digital currencies in foreign trade settlements.

Nabiullina was referring to the “experimental legal regime” (ELR), established at the suggestion of the CBR, which gives importers and exporters the option to employ crypto for international business.

The ELR allows Russian firms to acquire, spend and accept cryptocurrencies in their dealings with partners abroad, thus circumventing Western sanctions.

Waves of punitive measures imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine severely limited Russian access to traditional financial channels over the past few years.

The regime also grants a narrow category of “highly qualified” investors, recognized as such based on income and other assets, access to crypto and its derivatives.

Russia views crypto primarily as investment tool

Initially announced as a project with three-year validity, the ELR is now likely to be substituted with comprehensive legislation regulating crypto investments beyond its framework.

In early December, Aksakov revealed that Russian lawmakers will focus on the matter in 2026, as reported by Cryptopolitan. That’s after the CBR urged for the swift adoption of a crypto bill.

The Bank of Russia has also indicated it’s now ready to allow commercial banks to work with digital assets and let mutual funds invest in them and their derivatives as well.

The regulator authorized financial firms to offer derivative products on the Russian market with a circular issued in May and has since made it clear it’s open to expanding investor access, although not for ordinary Russians.

In the meantime, the CBR has been pushing for the adoption of its own the digital ruble, most recently through integration with existing banking apps.

Following extensive trials, the Russian CBDC will finally be introduced next year. The plan is to launch the state-issued coin for public use in several stages, with the first one starting on September 1, 2026.

While, admittedly, the sovereign digital currency won’t bring significant benefits to most Russians, in comparison with regular bank money, it’s likely to be widely employed in budget transfers.

Earlier this month, Aksakov announced the Russian government is expanding the digital ruble pilot, adding regions such as the annexed Crimea, which has been the subject of targeted sanctions, too.

The lawmaker, himself, recently became the first high-ranking official in Moscow to accept a salary in the CBDC, although most Russians remain wary of the digital incarnation of the national fiat.

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