Russia To Open Up Crypto, Aims To Make It ‘common Occurrence’: Report (2026)

A top Russian lawmaker says crypto “will be a common occurrence” in the country, with plans for a bill to deregulate the market for retail use.

Russia will reportedly move to open up crypto to retail investors, with a new bill set to soon be introduced to the country’s legislature.

Anatoly Aksakov, chair of the State Duma’s Financial Market Committee, said legislation to deregulate crypto is ready to be introduced with the aim of normalizing the asset for everyday use, the state-owned news agency TASS reported on Tuesday.

"A lot of attention will be paid to the development of digital financial assets, and we will devote a lot of time to cryptocurrencies in the upcoming spring session,” Aksakov said.

“A bill has already been prepared that removes cryptocurrencies from special financial regulation, that is, they will be a common occurrence in our lives," he added.

The bill would follow the Bank of Russia’s policy proposal put forward in December to allow non-qualified investors to buy certain cryptocurrencies — a reversal from an earlier position where it considered a full crypto ban.

Aksakov said the legislation would give so-called unqualified investors, such as retail traders, limited access to crypto, capped at 300,000 rubles ($3,800).

He added that “professional participants” who can pass income and knowledge or education criteria would be able to trade in crypto “without restrictions.”

“Cryptocurrencies can be actively used for international payments, including in order to further place them on the financial markets of other countries when issuing them here,”  Aksakov added.

Crypto is currently recognized as property in Russia, and using it for payments is banned, but many Russians and companies turn to crypto to send money internationally, which has increased since 2022 amid sanctions on the country over its invasion of Ukraine.

Source: CoinTelegraph