- The Bank of Russia has explicitly named Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT as eligible assets for crypto trading across regulated trading platforms.
Some legislators in the US don’t appear to have any sense of urgency about passing the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act. However, Russia has been taking the opposite direction.
After President Vladimir Putin signed the country’s own version of a digital asset market structure bill early this month, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, commonly known as the Bank of Russia, has swiftly drafted a directive that could pave the way for a more frictionless trading of Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Tether’s USDT stablecoin.
Russia’s New Law on Digital Assets
Last week, Putin signed into law the bill titled “On Digital Currencies and Digital Rights.” It contained comprehensive rules governing crypto-related activities, including but not limited to trading, custody, redemption, and conversion.
The new law also classified crypto as a property and investment asset, enforced investor safeguards, and imposed harsh penalties for violators. It offers a grace period for individuals and institutions affected by the changes implemented by its provisions until its full enforcement on July 1, 2027.
Bank of Russia Names Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT as Regulated Crypto for Trading
Building on the latest developments, the Bank of Russia has identified Bitcoin, Ether, and the USDT stablecoin in its list of cryptocurrencies available for public trading on exchanges. It qualified the assets based on their market capitalization, trading volume, pricing history on foreign exchanges, and resilience over the last five years.
The central bank plans to add more crypto assets to its list. It invited the public, especially industry stakeholders, to submit their comments and suggestions on the matter by August 24.
Why This Matters
Russia’s new law classifies crypto investors into two, namely non-qualified and qualified. The distinction is important for matching their financial literacy, experience, and risk profiles to appropriate products, services, and regulatory safeguards.
Under the rules, qualified investors are those with verified experience in trading assets and a deep source of capital. They enjoy uncapped transactions and have access to a wide variety of cryptocurrencies and tokens representing digital rights to real-world assets.
On the other hand, non-qualified individuals can only trade “highly liquid” digital assets. Moreover, they are subject to an annual purchase limit of 300,000 rubles through a single intermediary.
The central bank’s specific mention of BTC, ETH, and USDT means retail investors can generally access these top-tier liquid assets regardless of their investor classification. By explicitly naming them, the regulator creates a defined operational sandbox, allowing financial institutions to start building compliant infrastructure tailored to retail demand for these assets.
