Russia’s cryptocurrency framework will take effect on Sept. 1, 2026, creating regulated channels for digital-asset activity without making cryptocurrency a domestic means of payment. Russian citizens, sole proprietors, and companies may buy permitted assets and use cryptocurrency in lawful foreign economic transactions, including transfers to their own overseas wallets and payments to non-residents for goods or services. Domestic payments for purchases, rent, works, or services must remain in rubles. From Aug. 31, individuals can seek qualified-investor status by passing a Bank of Russia financial-market knowledge test and presenting an approved Russian certificate, including a Qualifin Certificate or Financial Analyst Certificate from the National Finance Association, a MOEX Investor Certificate from the Moscow Exchange, or an Investment Adviser Certificate from the National Association of Securities Market Participants, alongside existing income, asset, experience, degree, and international-credential routes. Deputy Governor Mikhail Mamuta said the test would make access “more accessible and deliberate,” adding that investors’ actual knowledge matters more than simply raising the number of qualified investors. Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina justified related access limits in July as legislative protections so untrained investors do not take on risks they do not understand. Qualified investors will have broader access to exchange-traded and over-the-counter cryptocurrencies without monetary limits under the Bank of Russia’s description of the framework, subject to platform, asset, financial-control, and possible privacy-coin restrictions. Non-qualified investors will have access to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether USDT subject to testing and applicable requirements. The 300,000-ruble figure is not a universal annual ceiling: earlier coverage of the bill described a 300,000-ruble non-qualified purchase limit and a tenfold higher ceiling for qualified retail investors, an Aug. 11 Bank of Russia draft directive described a possible limit of up to 300,000 rubles per year through each intermediary, and expert Alexey Korolenko said on Aug. 23 that the figure in the law concerns digital rights when testing has not been completed. Major lenders are preparing regulated services, with Sberbank planning crypto trading infrastructure and a digital depository by Dec. 1 and Alfa-Bank testing trading for qualified investors ahead of a possible broader retail launch closer to the fourth quarter of 2026. The framework improves legal clarity but does not remove volatility, custody, technical, counterparty, or compliance risks.