Sberbank Aims to Accept ETH and USDT as Collateral After Regulatory Approval

Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, is planning to expand its crypto-backed lending business by accepting Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Tether's USDT as collateral. According to Deputy Chairman Anatoly Popov, the move will only happen after required regulatory approval from the Bank of Russia.

The Russian bank has already completed a pilot Bitcoin-backed loan with mining company Intelion Data in December 2025. However, it won't be accepting ETH and USDT as collateral immediately, as their public circulation needs to be permitted by the central bank first.

Sberbank is preparing for Russia's new crypto market framework, which takes effect on September 1, 2026. The framework will create a regulated market involving banks, brokers, asset managers, crypto exchanges, and digital depositories.