‘No Time To Experiment’: Russia To Establish Strict Crypto Regulations In 2026

Vladimir Chistyukhin, First Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR), has shared crucial details of Russia’s upcoming crypto regulations. The framework is expected to amend key laws related to digital financial assets and the securities market, while potentially prohibiting new digital asset purchases for most investors.

New Crypto Framework Could Ban New Purchases

On Thursday, Vladimir Chistyukhin told Russian news media outlet RIA Novosti that the Central Bank of Russia, the Ministry of Finance, Rosfinmonitoring, and other federal agencies have been discussing proposals to regulate the crypto market.

The executive affirmed that the new framework will provide rules on how and through whom crypto transactions will be carried out. He detailed that these will likely be executed only by existing market participants under existing licenses.

As reported by Bitcoinist, CBR’s First Deputy Chairman previously announced that local banks would be allowed to engage in limited crypto operations under strict regulatory conditions.

Nonetheless, the executive has noted that they will need to consider whether exchanges should be included in a separate category that enables them to be eligible for a new license.

In the case of investors, he informed that they are stepping away from their initial Experimental Legal Regime (EPR), introduced at the start of the year. The EPR proposed allowing only “highly qualified investors” to transact directly with digital assets.

Currently, cryptocurrencies are used not only as an investment but also as a means of cross-border payments. This is a very important point that cannot be ignored. Of course, we want to protect Russian retail investors as much as possible from transactions with such a risky asset. On the other hand, we understand that in the current circumstances, in some cases, international payments can only be made using cryptocurrencies. Therefore, the discussion continues.

Now, they are looking to allow qualified investors into the market after passing certain tests, although discussions are not final. There are only about one million qualified investors in Russia, Chistyukhin added, which could place millions of retail investors in the country in a “gray” zone.

Unqualified investors who already acquired cryptocurrencies “will be able to either keep them, sell them, or exchange them for some fiat currency or other assets. There are no restrictions on exiting crypto assets – neither in terms of time nor volume. Only new purchase transactions will be restricted,” he stated.

Russia To Adopt Regulations ‘As Quickly As Possible’

Chistyukhin affirmed that the Russian financial market has “all the necessary infrastructure to work with cryptocurrencies.” Although it will be “essential to amend the laws on digital financial assets, the securities market, and banking legislation.”

Chistyukhin explained that the authorities believe it is “fundamentally important” to legitimize the crypto sector and ensure that it is compliant with the law. To achieve this, regulators are considering establishing strict restrictions and prohibitions. “Anything that falls outside this framework will be considered illegal activity.”

Discussing why the financial authorities decided not to experiment with and test crypto rules, he noted that the country needs to adopt regulations quickly due to “international attention” and “scrutiny.”

The issue of cryptocurrency regulation is attracting serious international attention, primarily from the FATF. (...) We need to adopt regulations as quickly as possible. (...) We simply do not have the time to experiment first and then spend several years analyzing it and launching something permanent.

Therefore, the executive revealed that the legislation could be passed during the spring of 2026 and be enacted before the end of next year. However, Russian watchdogs are preparing transitional periods to give market participants time to move out of the regulatory “gray” zone and into the new legal framework. Liability for illegal operations is expected to come into effect in mid-2027.

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