Russia’s central bank has finalized draft regulations that will restrict retail cryptocurrency trading to three specific assets—Bitcoin, Ether, and the stablecoin USDT—effective September 1. This move follows legislative changes enacted in July that authorized regulated crypto trading within the country while maintaining a strict ban on using cryptocurrencies for domestic payments.
Under the new rules, the trading landscape is divided by investor status. Non-qualified investors will be subject to an annual purchase limit of 300,000 rubles (approximately $3,600) per intermediary. Conversely, investors classified as “qualified” will face no such caps on their transaction volumes. Industry observers note that the regulation specifies the limit “per intermediary,” which may enable retail participants to increase their aggregate exposure by utilizing multiple brokers or exchanges simultaneously.
These measures are intended to provide a controlled environment for digital asset trading as the country attempts to integrate crypto into its formal financial system without compromising the existing prohibition on using digital currencies as a medium of exchange for goods and services. The central bank has yet to clarify if additional assets will be added to the whitelist in the future.