Bank of Russia Legalizes Crypto Investment for Qualified Investors in Three-Year Experiment

The Bank of Russia has approved a three-year pilot allowing financial institutions to offer qualified investors derivatives and securities tied to cryptocurrency prices. The key stipulation: these instruments must be non-deliverable, meaning investors gain exposure without direct crypto ownership.

Russia maintains its cautious stance toward widespread crypto adoption, restricting ownership to high-net-worth individuals. Sberbank, the country’s largest bank, is positioning itself as a liquidity provider for regulated crypto platforms, enabling super-qualified investors to trade digital assets directly.

The move mirrors global trends of institutional crypto adoption through synthetic products rather than direct ownership. Alexander Zozulya of Sberbank’s Global Markets Department called the central bank’s decision "an important step" in regulated crypto market development.