TLDR
- Russia’s central bank added Sberbank to its register of crypto exchange operators on Oct. 12.
- Sberbank now holds both crypto registrations, after earlier being listed as a digital custodian.
- The bank plans to launch Bitcoin, Ether and Tether USDt products on Dec. 1, 2026.
- Retail investors can buy only those three coins, capped at 300,000 rubles a year per intermediary.
- Paying for goods and services with crypto is still banned in Russia.
Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, has received approval from the central bank to run crypto exchange services. The Bank of Russia added the lender to its register of crypto exchange operators on Oct. 12, according to an Interfax report.
LATEST: 🏦 Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, has officially been added to the Bank of Russia’s crypto exchange register pic.twitter.com/ndzVyUagsN
— CoinMarketCap (@CoinMarketCap) October 14, 2026
The approval follows an earlier step. On Oct. 6, the central bank reportedly listed Sberbank among its first digital custodians. Those are firms that keep records of cryptocurrency and digital rights holdings.
With the latest listing, Sberbank holds both registrations created under Russia’s new crypto framework. The bank said the status will let it offer crypto services through interfaces its clients already use.
What Sberbank Plans to Offer
Sberbank has said it will launch crypto products on Dec. 1, 2026. They will support Bitcoin, Ether and Tether’s USDt. The services will run through SberBank Online, SberInvestments and SberBusiness.
The bank has already started testing crypto purchases, sales, deposits and withdrawals in the SberBank Online app. Russian business newspaper Vedomosti reported this, citing the bank’s press office.
Sberbank said the final launch timeline depends on additional central bank regulations. The December date could change if those rules are delayed.
Who Else Is Registered
The central bank’s updated register, dated Tuesday, lists 10 authorized crypto exchange operators and six digital custodians. A week earlier, the lists held four exchange operators and five custodians.
Large lenders such as Sberbank and VTB appear on the lists. So do nonbank companies such as T-Invest Lab and Atomyze. T-Invest Lab belongs to T-Technologies, the group behind T-Bank.
The first exchange operators admitted on Oct. 6 were VTB, T-Invest Lab, Zefir and Sistema-Crypto. Professional Bank and RNKO Finpilot joined on Oct. 8. Moy Bitkoin and Khlynov Bank followed on Oct. 9.
Paradise Technology was entered on Oct. 12, the same day as Sberbank. The central bank’s records also show a sixth custodian, TT LLC, added that day.
VTB has reportedly said it expects to open retail crypto trading in its VTB My Investments app in November. It also plans to launch its own exchange in December.
How the New Rules Work
Russia’s digital currency and digital rights law took effect on Sept. 1. It placed exchange operators and custodians under central bank oversight. Applications opened on Oct. 5.
Retail investors without qualified status can buy only Bitcoin, Ether and USDt. They are limited to 300,000 rubles a year per intermediary. Qualified investors face no cap.
Firms already on the registers have until Sept. 1, 2027, to meet every requirement. Some established financial institutions can be registered by notification within a day.
The central bank first floated that simplified process in March. It would let banks and brokers run crypto exchanges under their existing licenses.
Russia still bans the use of cryptocurrencies to pay for goods and services. Sberbank’s next step is its planned Dec. 1 launch.
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