The Moscow Exchange has started testing cryptocurrency trading with professional market participants and plans to make bitcoin trading available to clients in December, marking a significant step in Russia’s developing digital-asset framework.
Testing Begins Ahead of Client Trading
Boris Blokhin, the exchange’s senior managing director for sales and business development, said testing began about a week before his comments to journalists at the Sber Investments forum. His remarks were reported by Interfax and cited by Bitcoin Magazine.
The Moscow Exchange, Russia’s largest exchange, is testing the operational arrangements with professional market participants. The planned service is expected to allow clients to trade cryptocurrencies through the exchange’s existing market infrastructure.
The exchange will use a partner settlement digital depository. Market participants will open accounts with that depository, which will handle the digital-asset record-keeping and settlement arrangements. Blokhin said the exchange would not need additional permits or licenses to begin the trading service.
The December plan would give cryptocurrency trading a formal route through one of Russia’s main financial-market institutions. It does not, however, mean that digital currencies can be used freely for everyday payments in the country.
Russia’s New Digital-Asset Framework
The planned launch follows legislation covering digital currencies and digital rights that took effect in September. The framework provides for a broader group of participants in the market, including exchanges, brokers and trust managers operating through existing financial infrastructure.
It also recognizes newer types of market participants, such as crypto exchangers, where digital assets are bought and sold, and digital depositories, which record ownership.
Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, said last month that it had become the first institution in the country approved to custody bitcoin. The Bank of Russia authorized it to provide “digital currency record-keeping” and facilitate the transfer of bitcoin and other, smaller cryptocurrencies.
Access remains divided by investor status. Unqualified investors may purchase bitcoin and stablecoins—digital tokens designed to maintain a stable value—through a single intermediary, but their purchases are capped at 300,000 rubles ($3,556) a year. Qualified investors may buy any cryptocurrency traded on exchange and over-the-counter markets without that limit.
At the same time, using cryptocurrency as a means of payment has been illegal in Russia since 2022. President Vladimir Putin signed a law in October establishing regulation for digital currencies and digital rights, adding to the legal framework behind the Moscow Exchange’s plans.
Current Crypto Market Picture
Moneyiar market data at 10:09 a.m. on October 13, 2026, showed bitcoin at $83,508.353571493, up 0.12% over 24 hours but down 2.9% over seven days.
Other tracked assets were weaker:
- Monad was priced at $0.0246368197, down 4.72% in 24 hours and 13.12% over seven days.
- Ethereum Name Service stood at $5.9820625884, down 4.93% and 12.91%, respectively.
- Aethir traded at $0.0059933939, down 8.18% over 24 hours and 17.8% over seven days.
The figures provide a snapshot of broader market conditions as Russia’s exchange infrastructure moves toward its planned cryptocurrency trading launch.
