Retail Investors Can Buy BTC, ETH & USDT
Bank of Russia · TradFi · November 17, 2026
A Bank of Russia directive takes effect on November 17, 2026, letting non-qualified Russian investors buy Bitcoin, Ether and USDT, capped at 300,000 rubles a year per intermediary.
Russia opens regulated crypto buying to ordinary retail investors. The Bank of Russia set the list of cryptocurrencies available to non-qualified investors: Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Tether (USDT). The directive takes effect on November 17, 2026, and from that date licensed exchanges may admit these assets to public trading. Non-qualified investors will be able to buy them through brokers, managers or crypto exchangers, on exchange and OTC, with a limit of 300,000 rubles per year per intermediary. Qualified investors get access to any crypto asset without limits. Every investor must first pass a test and acknowledge the risks. Only the most liquid assets made the list: the regulator looked at market capitalisation, average daily volume and at least five years of price history on foreign venues. This follows the exchange admission rules that took effect on October 5, 2026.
Last verified: · Source: cbr.ru
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