Sberbank Expands Crypto-Backed Lending to Ethereum and USDT

Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, is expanding its crypto-backed lending services to include Ethereum and USDT as collateral, building on its experience with Bitcoin. The move comes as Russia's new crypto framework takes effect September 1.

The bank has already tested the model through a corporate loan to mining company Intelion Data in late 2025, where mined cryptocurrency was pledged as collateral. This gives Sberbank a working model that can be adapted to the new legal framework rather than developed from scratch.

According to Deputy Chairman Anatoly Popov, the bank has prepared for the regulatory changes and will modify existing products to meet the new requirements.