Bank of Russia Clears Bitcoin, Ether and USDT for Nov. 17
Non-qualified buyers face a 300,000-ruble yearly cap per intermediary. All investors must pass a test and review crypto risks before trading.
The Bank of Russia on Friday named bitcoin, ether and Tether's USDT as the cryptocurrencies non-qualified investors may buy once a regulator directive takes effect on Nov. 17, the central bank said.
From that date, exchanges can list those three assets for public trading. Non-qualified investors can buy them through a broker, asset manager or crypto exchange service, on exchange or over the counter, with a purchase limit of 300,000 rubles (about $3,660) per calendar year through each intermediary, Anadolu Agency reported, matching the Bank of Russia notice.
How the retail door works
Russia's crypto framework already bars domestic crypto payments. The new list is the liquidity screen for retail buyers: the central bank said it picked assets by market capitalization, average daily trading volume and at least five years of price history on foreign platforms. Qualified investors face no purchase cap and may buy any crypto asset. Every investor, qualified or not, must pass a test and review crypto investment risks before a trade.
The directive is permissive, not mandatory. Exchanges get the right to list bitcoin, ether and USDT. They are not required to list them. Domestic payments in crypto remain off-limits under the wider law whose main provisions took effect Sept. 1.
Bitcoin was about $75,920 around noon ET Friday, down roughly 0.6% over 24 hours, per CoinGecko. Ether was about $2,234, down roughly 1.4% on the same window.
The directive takes effect Nov. 17. The 300,000-ruble yearly cap per intermediary stays the retail limit once listings open.
Sources: Bank of Russia · Anadolu Agency · CoinGecko (Bitcoin) · CoinGecko (Ethereum)
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