The Bank of Russia has permitted financial institutions to offer certain cryptocurrency-based financial instruments to accredited investors.
Russian banks are now free to provide qualified investors with a range of crypto products, including crypto derivatives, securities and other digital financial assets tied to crypto prices, the central bank announced on May 28.
A key stipulation, however, is that these products must not involve the “actual delivery of cryptocurrencies,” the Bank of Russia emphasized.
The announcement came alongside the Bank of Russia reporting a 51% increase in crypto asset inflows by Russian residents in the first quarter of 2025, totaling 7.3 trillion rubles ($81.5 billion).
T-Bank among the first to offer Bitcoin investment products
Some major Russian banks started rolling out cryptocurrency investment products immediately following the Bank of Russia’s announcement.
T-Bank (formerly Tinkoff Bank), one of the largest commercial banks in Russia, announced on May 29 the offering of digital financial assets (DFA) tied to Bitcoin (BTC).
An excerpt from T-Bank’s announcement (translated by Google). Source: T-Bank
“The tool allows you to invest in cryptocurrency in rubles through a familiar application — safely and within the legal framework of the Russian Federation, without opening an account on a crypto exchange and difficulties with protecting your wallet,” the bank said.
T-Bank’s new “smart asset” offering is issued through the Russian state-backed tokenization platform Atomyze and is available exclusively to accredited investors.
Direct crypto investments still not encouraged
While greenlighting local lenders to offer crypto products, the Russian central bank still maintains a restrictive approach regarding direct cryptocurrency investment.
“The Bank of Russia still does not recommend financial institutions and their clients to invest directly in cryptocurrencies,” the Bank of Russia said in a statement.
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The central bank also noted the ongoing government discussions on the potential launch of an…
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