Moscow Exchange has confirmed plans to introduce trading in Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT on December 1, 2026, using its existing stock market infrastructure as Russia develops its regulated cryptocurrency market.
Summary
- Moscow Exchange plans to begin trading Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT on December 1, 2026.
- Trading is expected to run from 6:50 a.m. to 11:50 p.m. Moscow time, using existing stock market infrastructure.
- Retail investors must pass a knowledge test, with nonqualified investors limited to 300,000 rubles in annual purchases per intermediary.
- Partner digital depositories will handle cryptocurrency custody, while brokers provide clients with trading access.
- Several professional participants are already testing the platform ahead of its planned December launch.
Boris Blokhin, the exchange’s senior managing director for sales and business development, announced the plans during the Smartlab investment conference in Moscow, according to an October 31 report by RBC.
Blokhin said the exchange had already begun testing cryptocurrency transactions with professional market participants and would continue admitting additional firms as their systems became ready.
The planned launch follows Russia’s new cryptocurrency regulations, which took effect on September 1 and established rules for trading, custody and investor access.
Moscow Exchange targets December 1 crypto launch
Speaking at the conference, Blokhin explained that the exchange intends to begin with three cryptocurrencies that meet the Bank of Russia’s requirements for trading by nonqualified investors.
Bitcoin and Ethereum will be offered alongside Tether’s USDT, a stablecoin designed to maintain a value close to the U.S. dollar.
The initial trading service will operate through the infrastructure already used for securities transactions. According to Blokhin, the arrangement should reduce the additional costs faced by brokers and other professional participants.
“We plan to launch cryptocurrency trading from December 1,” Blokhin said, adding that several clients were already testing the system.
Investors will be able to submit buy and sell orders through an electronic order book, where competing bids and offers determine execution prices.
The exchange intends to offer swap transactions for liquidity management. Blokhin compared the planned service with repurchase transactions in securities markets and swaps commonly used in currency trading.
Cryptocurrency trading is expected to follow the exchange’s longest stock market operating schedule, running from 6:50 a.m. until 11:50 p.m. Moscow time.
Russia’s crypto rules set retail investment limits
The launch will operate under Russia’s regulated crypto trading framework, which began taking effect on September 1.
As crypto.news previously reported, the legislation allows qualified and nonqualified investors to buy cryptocurrencies through authorized intermediaries, subject to different access conditions.
Nonqualified investors must pass a knowledge assessment before purchasing approved cryptocurrencies. Their annual purchases are limited to 300,000 rubles through each intermediary.
Qualified investors face no equivalent purchase ceiling, although they must meet the applicable testing requirements.
The regulator selected Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT for retail access based on criteria that include trading history, liquidity and market capitalization.
Russia continues to prohibit cryptocurrency payments for ordinary domestic goods and services. Separate provisions permit qualifying cross-border transactions involving digital currencies.
The exchange previously confirmed that its existing trading-organizer license would cover the planned service without requiring another authorization.
Digital depositories will handle cryptocurrency custody
While Moscow Exchange will provide the trading venue, partner digital depositories will hold and account for customer cryptocurrencies.
The division follows the registration of Russia’s first cryptocurrency exchange operators and digital custodians in October.
Among the early participants were financial institutions connected to Sberbank, VTB and T-Technologies, which have been preparing digital asset services under the new legislation.
Blokhin said professional participants were building their digital depository systems and connecting them to the exchange’s infrastructure.
Brokers will provide customers with access to trading, while the depositories will maintain records of their digital asset holdings.
The exchange began testing transactions in early October. At the time, Blokhin said trials would continue until the December launch and confirmed that participants were already completing trades within the testing environment.
During Saturday’s conference, he said the number of firms participating was sufficient for the proposed pilot launch.
Moscow Exchange expands beyond cryptocurrency futures
The December plan would add direct cryptocurrency transactions to an exchange that already offers financial products linked to digital asset prices.
In September, Moscow Exchange introduced five crypto perpetual futures tied to Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP and Tron indexes.
Those contracts provide exposure to price movements without delivering the underlying cryptocurrencies, and access is restricted to qualified investors.
The exchange previously reported that more than 72,000 qualified investors had traded its cryptocurrency futures, with cumulative turnover exceeding 600 billion rubles.
Meanwhile, Sberbank has been preparing its own December cryptocurrency service, including trading, custody and settlement facilities for eligible customers.
Blokhin said Moscow Exchange expects demand for its new service, citing the departure of foreign cryptocurrency platforms from the Russian market.
He pointed to existing activity in cryptocurrency-linked futures as evidence of investor interest and said the exchange would continue collecting feedback from participating brokers throughout the testing period.
