Russia Approves Bitcoin and Ethereum for Retail Trading, Excludes XRP

Russia's central bank has approved Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether's USDT for public retail access on domestic exchanges. This decision is part of a broader framework under Russia's new licensed crypto market regime.

The criteria for retail investors include using approved intermediaries, passing a risk assessment test, and adhering to a 300,000-ruble annual cap per intermediary.

XRP has been excluded from the list, despite being integrated into Russia's institutional offerings. The regulatory body cited factors such as market capitalization, daily volume, and history as key considerations for approving the cryptocurrencies.