Russia Opens Crypto Trading to Retail Investors Amid New Regulations

Russia's central bank has announced plans to allow retail investors to trade in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT through approved intermediaries. The move is part of a new law on digital currency and digital rights that will take effect on September 1. According to the Bank of Russia, the aim is to protect non-professional investors from cryptocurrency-related risks by allowing trading only in the most liquid cryptocurrencies.

The annual purchase cap for retail investors remains at 300,000 roubles, as previously discussed. The central bank has also presented criteria for selecting eligible tokens, including market capitalisation, average daily trading volume, and price history on overseas exchanges. Eligible assets must have an average market capitalisation of over 5 trillion roubles and an average daily trading volume of at least 1 trillion roubles over the past two years.

Qualified investors will be allowed a wider range of trading options, including all cryptocurrencies traded on Russian exchanges and in the over-the-counter market. However, both retail and qualified investors must take a test to confirm their risk awareness before making actual trades.