Russia’s State Duma has adopted the first comprehensive law regulating the cryptocurrency market, allowing trading of digital assets through licensed intermediaries, while the use of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to pay for goods and services within the country remains prohibited.
Most of the provisions of the law will enter into force on September 1, 2026, and it introduces a register of licensed crypto-exchanges, brokers and other service providers, while market supervision will be carried out by the Central Bank of Russia.
The new law retains the possibility of using cryptocurrencies in certain international transactions, which could make it easier for Russian companies to make cross-border payments in the face of Western sanctions.
At the same time, small investors will be able to buy the most liquid cryptocurrencies through authorized intermediaries, with an annual limit of 300,000 rubles per intermediary, while qualified investors will have significantly wider authorizations.
With this move, Russia continues to formalize the digital asset market, but maintains strict control over its use in domestic payments, where the ruble remains the only legal tender, according to CoinPaper.
