Russia's central bank has finalized rules letting non-qualified investors buy Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT, with the regulation taking legal effect Nov. 17, 2026, according to CryptoSlate. The Bank of Russia's Nov. 6 announcement caps non-qualified investor purchases at 300,000 rubles per year through each broker, asset manager, crypto exchanger, or over-the-counter channel. All investors, qualified or not, must complete testing and review crypto investment risks before they can transact, the central bank said. Qualified investors face no asset-list restrictions or purchase caps but still must undergo the same testing.
The central bank said it chose Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT for the retail-accessible list based on market capitalization, trading volume, and a pricing history of at least five years on foreign markets.
Separately, Moscow Exchange said in a Nov. 2 release that it plans to launch digital currency trading on Dec. 1, 2026, starting with a pilot rollout and gradual onboarding of participants. The exchange's initial instrument list will also cover Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT, and it intends to use existing stock-market technology for the transactions, folding them into National Clearing Centre clearing, per the release cited by CryptoSlate.
CryptoSlate noted that an earlier intermediary-entry procedure, which took effect Oct. 5, had not finalized which retail assets would be eligible, a gap the Nov. 6 announcement is said to close. Unresolved questions include when investor testing will become available and whether the 300,000-ruble limit applies per intermediary or in aggregate across multiple firms.
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News, not financial advice. Memecoins carry substantial risk. Market snapshots can change quickly. This story was produced by the Block FOMO desk with AI assistance and checked against its sources. Editorial policy.