The Central Bank of Russia recently published a draft regulation on August 11, 2026, allowing non-qualified investors or the general public to purchase crypto assets. The purchase of these digital assets can later be made directly through broker intermediaries, crypto exchanges, or official investment managers. This move marks the first legal framework for ordinary Russian citizens to access the public crypto market from within the country.
However, this permission comes with strict guardrails. Retail investors are only allowed to transact a maximum of 300,000 rubles - or equivalent to $3,650 - per year with each intermediary. Before they can deposit funds into a trading account, they are also required to pass a special risk awareness test. A completely different treatment applies to qualified or wealthy investors: they receive the green light to purchase all types of crypto assets without any nominal limits whatsoever.
Why Three Coins Made the Cut and XRP Was Left Behind
The rules signed by Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina only approve three major assets to be traded on public exchanges: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether USDT. The requirements to enter this list are by no means light. A token must have a sufficient market capitalization, stable average daily trading volume, and maintain at least five years of price history across various overseas platforms.
The most prominent aspect of these new rules is the status of XRP. The token actually meets all the daily liquidity criteria required by the authorities. However, XRP remains excluded from the whitelist. The long history of legal issues between the issuer of XRP and United States regulators, which culminated in an SEC lawsuit - although now resolved - is strongly suspected to be the primary reason behind the token’s exclusion from the trading desks.
The inclusion of USDT on the same list also brings a sense of irony. Some time ago, the issuer of this stablecoin froze millions of dollars in USDT directly linked to Russian exchange entities hit by international sanctions. Now, the stablecoin has instead received official approval from the central bank to be traded freely in the domestic market.
Short Window of Time Before the Rules Take Effect
Russia’s move immediately drew attention online. A tweet from the analytical X account WatcherGuru discussing the draft regulation went viral with 7,280 likes and 859 retweets. Even so, the trading engine has not started spinning today. The public is still given time to submit public comments until August 24, 2026, and the final regulation will only take effect ten days after the official document is published.
For industry players, this draft regulation solidifies a new direction from a country once known for cracking down on crypto. The state is slowly starting to open the trading gates for its citizens, but they are also the ones who ultimately hold the key to determining wallet limits and listing which coins are allowed to be touched. Reported by Decrypt.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only, not financial advice. Cryptocurrency assets are highly volatile and carry significant risk. Always do your own research (DYOR) and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
