The Bank of Russia has unveiled a package of draft regulations designed to enable organized crypto trading and establish the regulatory infrastructure for Russia’s digital asset market, according to a recent announcement.
The central bank has proposed amendments to its organized trading regulations that would bring cryptocurrencies and digital rights into the country’s regulated exchange framework.
Under the draft, trading platforms would calculate market and weighted-average prices for digital assets, disclose trading information and provide data to the Bank of Russia. The amendments also introduce trading suspension procedures for digital assets.
The proposed rules would also create digital depositories as a new regulated category of financial institution responsible for recording ownership of cryptocurrencies and digital rights.
AdvertisementDepending on their business activities, including operations involving public blockchains or post-trade settlement, digital depositories would be required to maintain between ₽50 million and ₽250 million in minimum equity composed of liquid, high-credit-quality assets, according to the bank. Comparable financial requirements would also apply to electronic platform operators responsible for settling digital financial asset transactions.
In addition, the Bank of Russia has proposed standards governing digital asset recordkeeping, customer information, account management and access controls.
The regulator said digital depositories would operate under principles similar to conventional securities depositories and would be supervised through a central register maintained by the Bank of Russia.
All of the draft regulations have been published for public consultation as part of the regulatory impact assessment process.
Russia has adopted a comprehensive crypto regulation law that creates a legal framework for digital asset trading and custody while introducing licensing requirements for crypto service providers. The legislation establishes rules for exchanges, brokers and custodians, limits crypto transactions to approved entities and sets out how investors can participate in the market.
The law, passed by Russia’s parliament earlier this month, allows cryptocurrencies to be used for cross-border commercial transactions but maintains a ban on using digital assets as a means of payment within Russia.
Most provisions will take effect from Sept. 1, 2026, with full compliance required by July 2027 and additional measures related to fraud prevention scheduled to follow later that year.