Russia’s cryptocurrency rules will take effect on September 1, 2026, creating a legal framework for digital currencies without making them a domestic means of payment. Russian citizens, sole proprietors, and companies will be able to 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. Payments for purchases, rent, works, or services within Russia must still be made in rubles. Federal Law No. 282-FZ treats digital currencies as property and gives the Bank of Russia authority to admit, regulate, and supervise exchanges, brokers, crypto exchangers, asset managers, and digital depositories. Banks and regulated intermediaries may review the purpose, route, recipient, source of funds, and supporting documents for a transaction and reject operations that do not comply with the law. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether USDT are available to non-qualified investors subject to established requirements, including testing. Qualified investors will have broader access to cryptocurrencies traded on exchange and over-the-counter markets without monetary limits, although platform and asset restrictions may still apply. The 300,000-ruble figure is not a universal annual ceiling for every resident: an August 11 Bank of Russia draft directive described a limit of up to 300,000 rubles per year for a non-qualified investor through each intermediary, while expert Alexey Korolenko said on August 23 that the figure in the law concerns digital rights when testing has not been completed. Directly exchanging cryptocurrency for securities remains prohibited. The new framework improves legal clarity but does not remove volatility, technical, custody, counterparty, or compliance risks.