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Russia’s State Duma Advances Digital Currency Bill Under Central Bank Oversight

Russia’s lower house passed a first reading of crypto legislation that defines digital assets as property, bans domestic payments, and allows foreign trade use.

Fact Check
The claim is broadly supported by two retrieved sources. The X post 2046846316257456567 from The Block's official account directly states that the State Duma passed the crypto bill in its first reading and that domestic crypto payments remain prohibited. The PANews article '俄罗斯一读通过加密货币法案，央行将主导市场准入' aligns with this and additionally says the Bank of Russia will remain the main regulator and that citizens may purchase digital assets through licensed intermediaries. The searched Cryptopolitan result is consistent with these points, but because the page could not be fetched successfully here, it is not treated as validated evidence. No retrieved source in this run contradicted the claim. Confidence is medium rather than high because no directly fetched State Duma or Bank of Russia primary document was obtained.
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Summary

Russia’s State Duma passed a crypto bill in its first reading that would define digital assets as property while maintaining a ban on domestic cryptocurrency payments. The proposal would allow crypto use in foreign trade and could take effect on July 1, 2026, if it clears further readings and receives presidential approval. This adds to the broader legislative push to regulate digital currency activity under official oversight, alongside previously reported provisions for Bank of Russia-licensed intermediaries, retail purchase limits, and a future ban on unlicensed platforms.

Terms & Concepts
  • Digital assets: Blockchain- or digitally represented assets that the proposed Russian bill would classify as property under law.
  • Cryptocurrency: A digital asset secured by cryptography and generally recorded on blockchain-based or similar distributed systems.
  • Digital currency: A broad term for electronically represented value, including crypto assets addressed by the proposed legal framework.