Sberbank plans to launch the infrastructure for its cryptocurrency trading operations by December 1, 2026, as Russia moves toward a new legal framework for digital currency activity.

According to Interfax, the bank, which is listed in Moscow under the tickers SBER and SBERP, is developing tools that would allow it to track ownership and conduct transactions and client operations in accordance with legislation currently under consideration in parliament. The planned launch means Sberbank's crypto trading platform infrastructure would be operational by the end of December 2026. As Russia's largest lender and a majority state-owned institution, Sberbank's participation signals that the country's established financial sector is positioning itself to operate within the proposed rules.

Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman of Sberbank's Management Board, said one of the central components of the project will be a digital depository.

“One of the key elements of the new infrastructure will be a digital depository, which will maintain records of clients' cryptocurrency rights and account for transactions outside the main blockchain. It will also facilitate transactions on active wallets to fulfill clients' currency transfer orders. Sberbank plans to implement the necessary infrastructure for cryptocurrency trading and launch the digital depository by December 1, 2026.”

Sberbank develops systems for licensed crypto trading

Sberbank's work follows the State Duma's approval of the On Digital Currency and Digital Rights bill on July 21. Lawmakers passed the bill in its third reading, sending it next to the Federation Council. It would then require the signature of President Vladimir Putin before becoming law.

The bill covers a broad chain of cryptocurrency-related activity. It sets rules for purchases by citizens, licensed intermediaries, exchange trading, clearing, custody, and digital depositories. Russia currently permits cryptocurrency ownership, mining, trading, and some overseas use under separate rules, while domestic payments using cryptocurrencies remain prohibited.

That dual structure is based on tax legislation, anti-money laundering measures, mining legislation, and digital financial asset laws. As a result, businesses have operated under several legal frameworks rather than one unified set of rules. Cryptocurrency has continued to draw attention in part because sanctions have complicated cross-border transactions for Russian enterprises.

Vedyakhin said further rules are still needed before the infrastructure can be fully built.

“A large number of bylaws necessary for building the infrastructure and technological base—from depository and accounting systems to licensing new types of intermediaries—remain to be developed and adopted. Sber is ready to continue sharing its expertise and actively participate in this work.”

Sberbank has already spent several years working in Russia's digital-asset sector. Since 2022, it has been included on Russia's register of information system operators, a status that allowed it to participate in the country's digital financial asset, or DFA, market. Russia's DFA framework, established under a 2020 law, allows sanctioned issuance of tokens representing monetary claims or other rights, distinct from decentralized cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

In 2025, Sberbank began offering qualified investors structured bonds and DFAs linked to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and baskets containing several cryptocurrencies. In December 2025, it also completed a test involving loans backed by crypto. The bank used the trial to assess how crypto could function as collateral and how its systems would manage the related risks and records.

Russia's framework would tighten oversight of exchanges and investors

Under the new framework, exchanges, brokers, custodians, and digital depositories would be required to obtain licenses. The Bank of Russia would supervise those firms, maintain official lists of approved operators, and monitor compliance with the rules. Only companies included on the special register would be permitted to provide crypto exchange services.

Market participants would not be required to obtain approval immediately. The plan includes a two-year grace period during which firms can apply for licensing. They would be allowed to continue operating outside the register until July 1, 2027, provided they use that period to complete the licensing process.

Retail access would be subject to a fixed limit. Non-qualified investors would be permitted to buy about 300,000 rubles, or roughly $3,800, in digital assets each year through approved intermediaries. Qualified investors would not be subject to that annual cap.

The bill maintains the ruble as Russia's only legal tender. Cryptocurrencies and digital rights still could not be used for ordinary domestic purchases. However, the law provides limited exceptions for foreign trade transactions between residents and non-residents, payments involving coins produced through mining, and settlements connected to securities, other digital currencies, or digital rights.

The structure would keep crypto available for investment activity and selected international transactions while continuing to bar its use for everyday payments inside Russia. If the Federation Council and Putin approve the bill, its main provisions are scheduled to take effect on September 1, 2026, roughly three months before Sberbank's own December 1 infrastructure target.