Russia opens the door for cryptocurrencies to ordinary investors

The Central Bank of Russia has just dropped a regulatory bomb – a new plan will allow ordinary citizens to buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital assets. This marks a significant shift from previous restrictions, albeit with some caveats. The document dated December 23rd is a proposal that, in theory, legalizes access to cryptocurrencies for all categories of investors, but in practice introduces strict competition between non-qualified and qualified market participants.

How will the average Russian buy digital assets?

Non-qualified investors will gain their first legal access to cryptocurrencies but under strict supervision. Here’s what they will be allowed to do:

• Access only to a list of the most liquid digital assets (that is, the market leaders)
• All transactions must be conducted through licensed brokers
• An annual spending limit of 300,000 rubles (approximately $3,800 USD) per intermediary
• Ban on issuing cryptocurrencies within the country – they can buy but not use them for payments

More advanced investors (the so-called qualified) will have much greater freedom. They can choose almost any cryptocurrency except anonymous or privacy-focused coins (where contracts hide transfer data), with no volume limit – the only requirement is passing knowledge tests about risk.

Cryptocurrency infrastructure under financial system control

Russia wants cryptocurrency flows to pass through existing financial channels. Licensed exchanges, brokers, and custodial funds will handle client transactions based on current licenses. New requirements will mainly affect cryptocurrency deposit operators and platforms storing digital assets.

Regarding foreign flows – Russians will be able to buy cryptocurrencies on foreign exchanges from foreign bank accounts and transfer already owned assets abroad via brokers, provided they report this to the tax authorities. However, international sanctions may complicate this – major global platforms already restrict access for users from Russia.

Schedule and political lines

The plan has a specific timetable. Lawmakers will prepare the bill by July 1, 2026, and criminal liability for illegal intermediaries will come into effect a year later. This shows that Russia is taking this seriously.

The document also confirms the main party line. The head of the Duma’s financial committee, Anatoly Aksakov, clearly stated – cryptocurrencies will never be money in Russia, only investment tools. Point.

Context: when sanctions force creativity

This move should be viewed in a broader context. Russia is already actively using Bitcoin and Ethereum in foreign trade, has legalized mining under special rules, and policymakers are now discussing domestic stablecoins to reduce dependence on USDT and Western issuers following sanctions-related freezes.

As of today, Bitcoin hovers around $92,16,000 (up 1.52% in the last 24 hours), while Ethereum is near $3,16,000 (up 2.04%). The planned regulations could influence investor preferences toward large-cap assets, as the document clearly favors high-liquidity, large-cap assets – for both retail and institutional investors.