Russia’s largest bank Sberbank plans crypto trading infrastructure by December

Finance Russia’s largest bank Sberbank plans crypto trading infrastructure by December New regulations for crypto trading, custody, and settlement in Russia take effect Sept. 1, with requirements for licensed intermediaries applying from July 2027. By Francisco Rodrigues | Edited by Aoyon Ashraf Jul 25, 2026, 4:59 p.m. 2 min read Make preferred on Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Make preferred on Residents wait in line at an ATM of Russian bank Sberbank. (Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images) Summary Show Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, plans to launch crypto trading infrastructure and a digital depository by Dec. 1 to support a regulated financial system. New regulations for crypto trading, custody, and settlement in Russia take effect Sept. 1, with requirements for licensed intermediaries applying from July 2027. Public crypto trading will be limited to assets meeting strict liquidity and market cap thresholds; payments for goods and services in Russia remain prohibited. Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, plans to build cryptocurrency trading infrastructure and launch a digital depository by Dec. 1 as Russia moves to bring crypto trading, custody and settlement into its regulated financial system. The depository, according to Interfax , will record clients’ ownership of cryptocurrency and process most transactions outside the underlying blockchain. Sberbank will operate active wallets for client-initiated deposits, withdrawals and transfers. The plan follows the Federation Council’s approval of a law regulating cryptocurrency trading through licensed brokers, exchanges, asset managers and depositories. The framework is set to take effect Sept. 1 , though rules requiring transactions to pass through licensed intermediaries will apply from July 2027. Public exchange trading will be limited to cryptocurrencies that meet Bank of Russia liquidity thresholds, including an average market capitalization above 5 trillion rubles ($64 billion) and an average daily volume above 1 trillion rubles ($12.8 billion) over 2 years. Qualified investors will be able to access a broader range of assets. Crypto payments for goods and services inside Russia remain prohibited. Sberbank started offering qualified investors structured bonds tied to bitcoin last year, and completed a bitcoin-backed lending pilot with miner Intelion Data in December. Russia has been gradually bringing crypto into its regulated financial system. A 2024 law legalized mining and created an experimental regime for crypto-based cross-border settlements. The Bank of Russia also widened access in 2025 by allowing qualified investors to buy crypto-linked financial products. It later proposed limited direct purchases for retail investors, subject to testing and an annual cap of 300,000 rubles per intermediary. banks Latest Crypto News 1 North Korea arrests hackers accused of laundering stolen funds from country's bank via crypto 4 hours ago 2 Democratizing weather derivatives through tokenization could be crypto's most important real-world use case 7 hours ago 3 Robinhood Chain's real-world assets jump fivefold as tokenized stocks start trading in bigger size 10 hours ago 4 Senate Dems should accept the victory they won on Trump's crypto limits: White House Jul 24, 2026 5 Sam Altman-backed World Network secures $52.5 million in fresh funding to fight online AI deepfakes Jul 24, 2026 6 Institutional crypto trading platform LMAX is exploring sale, IPO Jul 24, 2026 7 Saylor and team overhaul Strategy's bitcoin metrics as bear market persists Jul 24, 2026 8 Brazilian farmers tokenized dairy cows to get loans, bypassing bank lending limits Jul 24, 2026 9 EU hits Russia with massive 21st sanctions package targeting $120B crypto network Jul 24, 2026 10 Crypto market maker B2C2 held sale talks with multiple potential buyers Jul 24, 2026 Latest Research Crypto Flows, Share and the Selective Rotation Crypto Flows, Share and the Selective Rotation Markets repositioned since June, but Binance held share (~55% user funds, ~24% spot) and drew net inflows in early July while the tracked market saw outflows. By CoinDesk Research Jul 22, 2026 Markets repositioned since June, but Binance held share (~55% user funds, ~24% spot) and drew net inflows in early July while the tracked market saw outflows. Why it matters: Markets repositioned since June, but Binance held share (~55% user funds, ~24% spot) and drew net inflows in early July while the tracked market saw outflows. View Full Report More From Finance North Korea arrests hackers accused of laundering stolen funds from country's bank via crypto Robinhood Chain's real-world assets jump fivefold as tokenized stocks start trading in bigger size Sam Altman-backed World Network secures $52.5 million in fresh funding to fight online AI deepfakes