Sanctions Drive Russia to Embrace a Controlled Crypto Market
Russia is pivoting toward a regulated cryptocurrency market as international sanctions reshape its financial landscape. The Central Bank has proposed a framework that allows retail participation with strict caps and oversight, while granting professional traders broader access under enhanced transparency rules.
The two-tier model imposes limits, knowledge tests, and approved asset lists for retail investors to mitigate volatility risks. Meanwhile, licensed intermediaries will channel all activity, ensuring state supervision remains paramount. This marks a stark reversal from earlier attempts to ban digital assets outright.
Sanctions have forced Moscow's hand—what was once viewed as a threat to monetary sovereignty is now being weaponized as a financial bypass. The ruble retains its legal tender status, but crypto is gaining institutional recognition as a controlled alternative.
