Bank of Russia clears bitcoin, ether and USDT for ordinary investors from November 17, with a 300,000-ruble yearly cap per broker

Russia's central bank has set the date. The Bank of Russia said on Friday that its directive listing the cryptocurrencies that non-qualified investors may buy takes effect on November 17, after which exchanges can admit those assets to public trading. The list is short: bitcoin, ether and Tether's USDT.

The regulator chose the coins on criteria written into the law, including market capitalization, average daily trading volume and at least five years of price history on foreign platforms, which it says is meant to reduce risks for ordinary investors. Those investors can buy through a broker, an asset manager or a crypto exchange provider, on an exchange or over the counter, up to 300,000 rubles a year through each intermediary. Cointelegraph puts that at about $3,700. Everyone, whatever their status, must complete a test and review the risks before a first trade, while qualified investors can buy any crypto asset without limits.

The directive fills in the regime that President Vladimir Putin signed into law on August 4 and that took effect on September 1, Cointelegraph reported. The Bank of Russia authorized Sberbank to offer crypto exchange services in October, and Moscow Exchange, the country's largest securities exchange, plans to start trading the three coins on December 1 with pilot transactions, as Cryptoweek reported last weekend.

Limits remain tight. Direct peer-to-peer trading is set to be banned from July 1, 2027, transfers from regulated accounts to self-custody wallets are already barred, and the ban on paying for goods and services with crypto stays in place, Cointelegraph reported.