Sberbank Readies Crypto-Backed Loans Under New Russian Rules

Sberbank, one of Russia's largest banks, is preparing to accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT as collateral for loans once new Russian crypto rules take effect on September 1.

The bank has been working on adapting its lending infrastructure in anticipation of the regulatory shift, which will bring a regulated cryptocurrency market into force. Sberbank plans to expand its range of digital assets it can accept as security in stages, starting with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT.

These three assets have already been added to Russia's public-circulation list for exchange trading under the new framework, which considers factors such as market capitalization and average daily volume. This decision follows an earlier regulatory proposal that would limit non-qualified investors primarily to these three cryptocurrencies, while qualified investors would receive broader access.

Sberbank tested a similar model in December 2025 through a corporate loan issued to mining operator AO Intelion Data. The bank used its own cryptocurrency custody technology together with a Rutoken hardware solution to secure the collateral during the loan period.