crypto-policy-map
← Back to the map

Is crypto legal in Russian Federation?

Cryptocurrency is legal in Russian Federation, but subject to regulatory restrictions.

Eastern Europe · RU · 9 of 9 dimensions sourced

Every value below cites the primary government, central bank, financial regulator, or tax authority. How this is sourced →

Russian Federation crypto policy at a glance

CBDC status
Pilot

Stage of the central bank digital currency programme — research, pilot, or launched.

cbdctracker.org ↗ · as of 2019 · confidence: high
Legal status
Legal, with restrictions

Whether crypto is legal, restricted, or banned for individuals and businesses.

“Digital currencies and stablecoins are classified as currency assets, may be purchased and sold, but may not be used to make payments inside Russia.”
Bank of Russia ↗ · as of 2025 · confidence: high
VASP licensing
Registration only

Whether the jurisdiction licenses crypto/VASP service providers.

“Operatorami informacionnyh sistem, v kotoryh osushchestvlyaetsya vypusk cifrovyh finansovyh aktivov (OIS), mogut byt rossijskie yuridicheskie lica, vklyuchennye v reestr OIS.”
Stablecoin rules
None

Rules governing stablecoin and e-money-token issuance.

“Digital currencies and stablecoins are classified as currency assets, may be purchased and sold, but may not be used to make payments inside Russia.”
Bank of Russia ↗ · as of 2025 · confidence: high
Tax treatment
Mixed (CGT + income)

How crypto gains are taxed and reported, including OECD CARF participation.

“cifrovaya valyuta priznaetsya imushchestvom. Dohody grazhdanina v vide cifrovoj valyuty, sozdannoj v rezultate majninga, budut schitatsya poluchennymi v naturalnoj forme ot istochnikov v RF i oblagatsya NDFL po obshcheustanovlennym stavkam.”
DeFi treatment
Restricted

How decentralized finance (DeFi) is treated by regulators.

“The Bank of Russia proposes to introduce a ban on the organization of issuance and (or) issuance, organization of circulation and (or) circulation of cryptocurrencies... including using decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms.”
Central Bank of the Russian Federation ↗ · as of 2022-01-20 · confidence: medium
NFT classification
Addressed

Whether NFTs are addressed in regulation.

“Нефункциональные токены (NFT) относятся к цифровым финансовым активам и подлежат налогообложению в соответствии с общими правилами налогообложения операций с такими активами.”
Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation ↗ · as of 2022-04-01 · confidence: medium
Mining policy
Addressed

Policy toward crypto mining — permitted, restricted, or banned.

“Федеральный закон... устанавливает особенности имущественных отношений, возникающих при осуществлении майнинга цифровых валют, а также правовой статус участников такого майнинга и порядок его осуществления.”
Enforcement intensity
Low

Intensity of regulatory enforcement actions against crypto firms.

“Банк России размещает предупреждения о компаниях, предлагающих услуги с использованием криптоактивов без необходимой лицензии.”
Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia) ↗ · as of 2026-05-30 · confidence: low

Explore Russian Federation and compare it with other countries on the interactive crypto policy map →

Related

More in Eastern Europe