- Sberbank to provide liquidity on Russia’s regulated crypto trading platforms.
- Bank of Russia launches three-year experimental regime for qualified crypto investors.
- Sberbank plans ETF-like products offering crypto exposure without owning coins.
Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, is preparing to become an official market maker for the country’s new regulated cryptocurrency platforms. The country’s latest shift in digital asset regulations brought about this choice. The bank sees this as providing a fresh array of investment choices in digital assets.
Sberbank to Provide Liquidity on Russia’s Regulated Crypto Platforms
Director of the global markets department at Sberbank, Alexander Zozulya, reports that the bank will serve as a liquidity provider on the regulated platforms discussed here. Cryptocurrency platforms are only designed to let highly qualified investors buy and sell digital tokens. Zozulya added that this is necessary because Russia wants to introduce clear rules for crypto trading.
At the Russian Stock Market 2025 conference on May 16, Elvira Nabiullina said that investing in cryptocurrencies needs both new laws and improved infrastructure. She said the Central Bank will experiment with new regulations, called an EPR or sandbox, that only certain qualified investors can join. It limits risks so the financial system can keep advancing in new directions.
The Bank of Russia presented the idea for this three-year experiment in March. The EPR will require anyone wanting to buy or sell cryptocurrencies to meet very high qualification standards. To qualify, an investor’s securities and deposits should total more than 100 million rubles, or they must earn more than 50 million rubles annually. As well, rules for financial firms dealing in cryptocurrency are becoming tighter.
Nabiullina also said there are talks about deciding what makes these investors qualified. The Central Bank hopes to finish the rules as quickly as possible, with the support of the government, to bring about the EPR.
Sberbank Nears Launch of Crypto ETF-Like Products
Zozulya unveiled that the new approach will allow investors to participate in cryptocurrencies without acquiring or handling them. It resembles the exchange-traded funds (ETFs) available in Western markets. There are data products in Russia that give you exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum or some other cryptocurrencies based on their market value. Investors can own crypto price movements without owning the actual coins.
Sberbank is working rapidly with the Central Bank to offer these products for sale soon. Still, making the formal launch possible requires some revisions to the Civil Code, Tax Code and banking rules. Zozulya noted that the essential infrastructures are almost complete, and these new crypto tools will be offered shortly.
At the same moment, Russia is making it a priority to address crypto crime. A new law being developed by the Ministry of Justice considers digital assets like any other form of property, so they can be seized in criminal investigations by law enforcement. Showing draft regulations is a sign of Russia’s efforts to regulate cryptocurrency efficiently.
Nabiullina noted that soon, the Central Bank will put out rules for using derivatives linked to cryptocurrency values. Qualified investors can now invest in these tools, which resemble ETFs, without having to deal with any particular legal setup. In addition, investors can benefit from training in crypto investments by using these products, according to Mr. Kabalaev, who is the Deputy Director of Financial Policy in the Ministry of Finance.
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