Why has Russia's cryptocurrency policy shifted from "complete rejection" to "positive entry"?

What could make a country go from a "complete ban" to "listing cryptocurrencies on its stock exchanges"?

In 2021, Russian Central Bank Governor Nabiullina stood in front of the camera and said in an unquestionable tone: "Our attitude towards cryptocurrencies, to put it bluntly, is one of complete rejection."

In December 2025, it was also in Russia, and also at a national financial institution.

The largest stock exchanges in Moscow and St. Petersburg have publicly announced that the technology is ready and they are just waiting for the regulations to take effect on July 1, 2026.

From now on, both retail and institutional investors can trade cryptocurrencies on stock exchanges. Moreover, this represents a positive acceptance by stock exchanges, not a compromise in the gray area.

In four years, Russia has moved from a "complete ban" to "how to manage" it.

01. What happened?

In March 2025, Russia launched an "experimental legal regime" that allowed the use of cryptocurrencies in cross-border payments.

In December 2025, the People's Bank of China released a comprehensive regulatory framework, defining cryptocurrencies as "monetary assets".

25 years later, the country’s two largest stock exchanges announced that they are technically ready to support this framework.

The regulations will officially take effect on July 1, 2026, launching cryptocurrency trading.

The regulatory rules have also been clearly defined.

Qualified investors can trade without limit; this group includes financial institutions, high-net-worth individuals, and professional investors.

The annual trading limit for ordinary retail investors is 300,000 rubles (approximately $3,200). This limit isn't high, but it's good enough if you can trade legitimately.

All transactions must be conducted through licensed exchanges, and all participants are required to undergo KYC verification and anti-money laundering checks.

From the perspective of institutional design, this is a kind of openness under strong control.

02. Why now?

First, sanctions are forcing the diversification of financial instruments.

In February 2022, Russia was kicked out of SWIFT, its dollar assets were frozen, and cross-border payments were restricted.

Cryptocurrencies have become a limited but real supplement to liquidity, not a speculative tool, but a controllable window of opportunity for hedging.

Secondly, the mining industry has become a reality.

Russia is the world's second-largest Bitcoin mining nation, after the United States. Cheap electricity in Siberia, the cold climate, and idle energy capacity resulting from sanctions have made mining a viable industry.

In 2014, Russia legalized Bitcoin mining and incorporated it into its tax system.

Now that the mined coins already exist, the questions of how to trade them, how to price them, and how to pay taxes become essential. Rather than letting these assets circulate on overseas exchanges, it would be better to establish a domestic market, which would at least allow for control over the data and tax base.

Third, the continuation of the de-dollarization narrative.

Russia has been pushing for "de-dollarization" in recent years, increasing the proportion of the yuan, gold, and ruble in its reserves and trade.

Cryptocurrency is incorporated into this narrative. It is not a replacement for the dollar, but it is a component of the non-dollar system.

Placing cryptocurrency trading on a national exchange signifies that the Russian government believes the tool is mature enough to be integrated into the formal financial system, at least within a controllable framework.

This reveals a shift in regulatory logic, rather than the simplistic narrative of "Russia supports cryptocurrencies."

03. From "Prohibition" to "Domestication"

Russia's approach is not to embrace the free market, but to use state power to bring crypto assets into a controlled framework.

Trading is limited to licensed exchanges, participants are identified by their real names, retail investors are subject to limits, and funds are traceable throughout the entire chain.

This is a form of "institutionalized co-optation." Cryptocurrency is no longer an "anti-establishment tool," but rather a financial instrument absorbed by the system.

04. Regulatory divergence is accelerating.

Globally, attitudes toward crypto assets are diverging.

The US is pushing for ETFs and compliance, attempting to tame cryptocurrencies through capital market rules. The EU is promoting MiCA, emphasizing consumer protection and financial stability.

China maintains a comprehensive ban, at least at the mainland level. Russia, on the other hand, opts for a "state-led marketization" approach, neither completely banning nor allowing free trade.

The divergence itself is interesting. Cryptocurrency is no longer a binary issue of "either full acceptance or full ban," but rather a technical question of "how to manage it."

The state will not withdraw; it will only become more refined.

The Russian case demonstrates that a state can embrace crypto assets without relinquishing control.

Regulation is not a matter of "having" or "not having," but rather "how to regulate."

As more and more countries realize that "banning" is neither feasible nor economical, they will turn to more refined controls, such as entry barriers, transaction limits, tax tracking, and fund monitoring.

The "decentralized" concept of cryptocurrencies is receiving a positive response from national governance capabilities.

05. Some calm observations

The market is in a dismal state, and many people probably haven't even noticed this news.

The Russian market is limited in size, especially given the sanctions. Retail investors are subject to strict limits, and accredited investors are the main participants.

At the same time, "legalization" is not the same as "liberalization." Russia has embraced cryptocurrencies, but in a manner of strong control.

This increases the legitimacy of encryption, but it also means more regulation, real-name registration, taxation, and restrictions.

If you believe that the value of cryptocurrency lies in "censorship resistance" and "financial freedom," then Russia's model is exactly the opposite.

But institutionalization is a long-term trend. Whether you like it or not, crypto assets are being incorporated into the existing financial system.

ETFs, custody, exchange licenses, tax rules, and KYC/AML requirements are all manifestations of "institutionalization".

The Russian case is just another example of this trend.

06. Finally

The Russian stock exchange's acceptance of cryptocurrencies is a moment worth recording.

It is a case study of how a country responds to new technologies without either rejecting them outright or relinquishing control, but rather by using institutional power to bring them into a manageable framework.

This process will play out in more countries, just in different forms and to different degrees.