The Bank of Russia has finalized the list of assets that investors without qualified status can buy, allowing exchanges to list Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT for public trading from Nov. 17.
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In its Nov. 6 announcement, the central bank said non-qualified investors can buy through brokers, asset managers, or crypto exchangers, on exchanges, or over the counter. Purchases will be limited to 300,000 rubles annually through each intermediary, and investors must undergo testing before a transaction.
The directive defines the calculation as the ruble sum of acquisition costs for digital currencies already bought and being bought through that broker during the calendar year.
The broker calculation is tied to the calendar year, and both completed purchases and orders under consideration enter the sum. The broker applies the ceiling to those combined acquisition costs during the calendar year, so earlier purchases through that broker remain part of the calculation when another order is assessed.
Before transacting, investors must undergo the test and familiarize themselves with crypto investment risks regardless of whether they hold qualified status.
Qualified investors will be able to access any cryptoassets without the non-qualified investor asset-list and purchase-limit restrictions. They must also undergo testing and familiarize themselves with the risks.
The central bank said it selected liquid assets using market capitalization, average daily trading volume, and a foreign-market pricing history of at least five years. Those criteria explain the restricted list available through the non-qualified investor route.
Russia's crypto access follows two timetables
As of Nov. 6, 2026: the rule takes effect Nov. 17; Moscow Exchange plans a gradual pilot rollout from Dec. 1.
Regulatory eligibility and Moscow Exchange rollout follow separate datesSCHEDULED EFFECTIVE DATEMOSCOW EXCHANGE PLAN17 Nov1 Dec20262026 · planned
- Exchanges may admitBitcoin · Ether · USDTPilot tradesGradual onboardingRule permission and venue readiness are separate milestones.
November rule effectiveness precedes a planned December venue rollout
- SCHEDULED EFFECTIVE DATE17 Nov 2026Exchanges may admitBitcoin · Ether · USDTMOSCOW EXCHANGE PLAN1 Dec 2026Planned pilot tradesGradual onboardingSeparate milestones;no universal launch day.
What changes with investor status？What changes with investor status？Non-qualifiedQualified
Bitcoin, Ether and USDT; annual purchases capped at 300,000 rubles per intermediary. Testing and risk familiarization are required.
Non-qualified investor access conditions
Non-qualifiedinvestor
Testing+ risk information
BTC · ETH · USDT
300,000 rubles per yearThrough each intermediary
Non-qualified investor access conditionsNon-qualified investor
Testing+ risk information
BTC · ETH · USDT
- 300,000 rubles per yearThrough each intermediary
Any cryptoassets without the non-qualified asset-list and purchase cap. Testing and risk familiarization remain required.
Qualified investor access conditions
Qualifiedinvestor
Testing+ risk information
Any cryptoassets
No equivalent asset-list or purchase capTesting still applies
Qualified investor access conditionsQualified investor
Testing+ risk information
Any cryptoassets
- No equivalent asset-listor purchase capTesting still applies
Asset eligibility and venue rollout are separate; investor status changes the asset and purchase limits, while testing applies to both groups.
December 1 is Moscow Exchange's planned start, with pilot trades and gradual onboarding; it is not a universal retail launch date. Testing availability is not dated by these sources.
Sources and evidence
Sources
- Bank of Russia, Nov. 6 announcement
- Bank of Russia directive
- Moscow Exchange, Nov. 2 plan
- The Bank of Russia said on November 6, 2026, that its retail-access list includes Bitcoin, Ether and USD Tether (USDT). [1] [2]
- The Bank of Russia says the directive takes effect November 17, 2026, from which date exchanges may admit the listed assets to public circulation. [1]
- The Bank of Russia sets the non-qualified investor purchase limit at no more than 300,000 rubles a year through any one intermediary. [1] [2]
- Investors must undergo testing and familiarize themselves with crypto investment risks before a transaction regardless of whether they are qualified, the Bank of Russia says. [1]
- The Bank of Russia says qualified investors may access any cryptoassets without the non-qualified investor asset-list and purchase-limit restrictions, while testing and risk familiarization still apply before transactions. [1]
- Moscow Exchange said on November 2, 2026, that it plans to enable digital-currency transactions from December 1, 2026, with pilot trades initially and participants joining gradually as they become ready. [3]
Supporting facts
Method
Sourced milestone sequence and investor-condition comparison. Dates are milestones, not a proportional time scale. No hypothetical inputs or calculated quantities.
Scope
December 1 is Moscow Exchange's planned start, with pilot trades and gradual onboarding; it is not a universal retail launch date. Testing availability is not dated by these sources.
Infographic by CryptoSlate
Moscow Exchange targets December for Bitcoin and Ethereum trading
In a Nov. 2 release, Moscow Exchange said it plans to make digital currency transactions available from Dec. 1. Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT will form the initial instrument list, with pilot trades first and participants joining as they become ready.
Related Asset Ethereum ETH · $2,238.90 24-hour change: up 0.18%
The exchange plans to use its stock-market technology and include the transactions in National Clearing Centre clearing.
Related Asset Tether USDT · Stablecoin
The final asset rules address a separate part of the market's opening. The intermediary-entry procedure that took effect Oct. 5 did not finalize retail asset eligibility.
Nov. 17 marks its legal effectiveness, while Moscow Exchange's planned December start illustrates the separate timetable for bringing the permitted assets to customers.