Russia Prepares Major Shift to Allow Retail Crypto Access

TLDR

• Retail investors get capped crypto access via licensed platforms with checks
• Digital assets move under general financial law, ending special oversight
• Pro traders gain wider access with no caps if they meet set criteria
• Domestic payments stay banned; crypto treated as instruments, not money
• Tighter exchange licensing aims to curb fraud and pull activity onshore

Russia plans a broad change to its digital asset rules as lawmakers prepare to introduce a bill that opens controlled access to crypto. The proposal aims to unify regulation and bring crypto activity under a general legal system, while also defining clear limits for public participation. The move signals a strategic shift as authorities respond to growing domestic use of digital assets.

New Retail Access Cap and Structural Reform

Russia intends to allow public users to buy approved cryptocurrencies through licensed platforms, and the bill sets strict annual limits. The proposal outlines a 300,000-ruble ceiling for public participants, and it requires risk-awareness checks for platform access. This framework establishes a controlled entry point while redirecting activity into regulated channels.

Officials also plan to remove digital assets from special oversight categories, and this change places them under general financial rules. The revision aims to standardize treatment across markets, and it aligns digital assets with broader financial reporting. This shift offers a more direct structure and prepares the ground for new compliant platforms.

Domestic brokers and exchanges are preparing systems that match the new requirements, and they expect activity to move from informal markets. Authorities want all trading executed through approved institutions, and they also plan reporting duties for users on foreign platforms. This plan supports transparency and reduces the use of unregulated peer-to-peer channels.

Broader Rules for Professional Market Participants

The bill grants full access to experienced market participants who meet income or education thresholds, and it removes purchase caps for them. This group will operate across wider asset ranges, and they will continue to follow reporting rules. The framework positions them as primary actors within regulated crypto markets.

Authorities maintain the ban on domestic crypto payments, and they classify digital assets as instruments rather than currency. This keeps the ruble dominant in transactions, and it limits crypto use to trading or cross-border activity. The bill reinforces this structure as it expands regulated market access.

Russia notes growing use of digital assets for international transactions, and the bill supports controlled channels for such activity. Platforms may issue assets domestically and place them abroad, and officials want a system that integrates with existing financial networks. This direction reflects changing economic conditions and broader adoption.

Exchange Oversight and Enforcement Path

Lawmakers also plan stronger oversight for exchanges, and they push for rules that establish licensed domestic operations. They cite rising fraud tied to foreign exchanges, and they argue for platforms that authorities can monitor. The plan would create a defined licensing path and clear penalties for noncompliance.

Many platforms left Russia after sanctions, and this exit pushed users toward foreign or unregulated services. The new structure aims to reverse this trend and it encourages firms to return under clear rules. Regulators also expect improved tracking of financial movements under the updated system.

Authorities already eased rules for business crypto transactions, and the new bill extends this shift into public trading. The framework also links with earlier proposals covering brokers, exchanges and trusts. This signals an ongoing effort to formalize the sector and reduce unregulated activity as adoption grows.

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