Five digital depositories and four crypto exchanges enter market
The Bank of Russia has registered five digital depositories and four cryptocurrency exchange operators under the digital currencies law that took effect on September 1, 2026. The move admits the first cohort of infrastructure providers to the domestic digital asset market.
Nine entities enter official registers
The Bank of Russia has included the first five organisations in its official register of digital depositories, alongside four entities in the register of organisations conducting digital currency exchange activities.
These nine market participants were admitted to the domestic financial market pursuant to the transitional provisions of the law On Digital Currencies and Digital Rights, which entered into force on September 1, 2026.
From their respective dates of inclusion in the registers, all listed organisations are required to comply with binding rules for executing and recording transactions as well as operations with digital currencies and digital rights across all customer accounts.
Permitted operations and a one-year transition
Under the regulatory framework, digital depositories are authorised to provide custody and transfer services for digital currencies and digital rights, including granting clients access to designated address identifiers where assets are recorded.
Cryptocurrency exchanges may buy and sell digital currencies on their own behalf and for their own account outside organised trading venues.
All admitted entities are required to bring their full business activities into strict compliance with the legislation before September 1, 2027.
Supervised plumbing replaces the ban
The registry admissions shift crypto oversight from prohibition to a tightly supervised domestic perimeter.
Restricting exchanges to off-market dealer trading limits broader financial contagion during the pilot phase.
The tight 2027 compliance window will test whether these nine pioneers can endure full regulatory rigor.