Russia opens retail crypto trading on licensed exchanges

From November 17, 2026, Russian licensed exchanges and brokers may sell bitcoin, ether and USDT to retail investors, according to the Bank of Russia. The date is confirmed.

What is happening

Russia's central bank announced that licensed exchanges and brokers will be allowed to offer retail clients three assets: bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) and Tether's USDT. The announcement was reported by Cointelegraph on November 6, and the rules take effect on November 17.

The change applies to licensed trading venues and brokers only. The sources do not describe additional conditions, such as investor limits or testing requirements, so those details are not covered here.

The announcement came in a busy week for crypto news that also included US midterm results, ETF outflows and a sharp bitcoin sell-off. At the time of the report, bitcoin traded near $75,780 and ether near $2,237.

Why it matters

Until now, the sources describe retail access to these assets on licensed Russian venues as something the central bank is only now permitting. Opening regulated channels for BTC, ETH and USDT could change where Russian retail investors buy and hold these coins, shifting some activity toward supervised exchanges and brokers.

For traders and holders, the event is mainly a regulatory milestone rather than a market catalyst: the article places it among the key dates of the month, alongside US inflation data and the MSCI index list. Anyone following the three coins may want to watch how licensed platforms announce their launch, which products they offer and how the rules are applied in practice after November 17.

Key details

• Date: November 17, 2026
• Project: Bank of Russia
• Coins: BTC, ETH, USDT
• Category: Regulatory Deadline
• Status: Confirmed
• Source: cryptoticker.io