Sberbank to Accept ETH and USDT as Loan Collateral Pending Regulatory Approval

Sberbank, one of Russia's largest banks, plans to accept Ether and Tether's USDT as collateral for loans, alongside Bitcoin. This move is conditional on Russian regulators approving these assets for public circulation.

The proposal overlaps with the Bank of Russia's draft approach to public exchange trading, which has identified Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT as eligible cryptocurrencies.

Sberbank has already tested Bitcoin-backed lending, issuing a loan in December 2025 to Intelion Data. However, the bank did not disclose the terms or amount of this loan.