Russia Limits Cryptocurrency Options for Non-Professional Investors

The Russian government has taken a significant step towards regulating digital assets by announcing that only three cryptocurrencies will be permitted for non-professional investors. According to the upcoming law 'On Digital Currency and Digital Rights', which is expected to come into force by July 1, 2026, Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Tether's dollar-pegged stablecoin USDT will be the only approved coins.

The decision was confirmed by Vladimir Chistyukhin, First Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Russia. He emphasized that the bank does not plan to expand the list of approved coins beyond these three, at least initially. This means that other popular cryptocurrencies such as Solana (SOL) and BNB will not be available for non-professional investors.

The criteria for approval are strict and include a market cap exceeding 5 trillion rubles on average for the past two years, an average daily trading volume over 1 trillion rubles for the same period, and a trading history of at least five years prior to admission. This will result in a short list of approved coins that meet these requirements.