Russia's Crypto Law Live: Licensed Trading Begins with BTC, ETH, USDT

Russia's cryptocurrency law has come into effect on September 1, 2026, marking a significant milestone for the country's digital-asset market.

The Federal Law No. 282-FZ establishes a fully licensed digital-asset trading framework, making Russia one of the largest economies to do so.

Domestic crypto payments for goods and services remain banned, but Russians can now trade Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and USDT through licensed intermediaries such as regulated exchanges, brokers, management companies, and organized platforms.

The Bank of Russia has pointed to these three assets as the initial liquid set eligible for retail access. Access is tiered, with non-qualified retail investors facing a suitability test and a hard cap of 300,000 rubles (~$3,700) per licensed platform per year.