Russia prohibits non-qualified investors from trading cryptocurrencies, with no broker exemptions allowed.
Regulation & Gov ·
Russia's current legislation bars non-qualified investors from trading cryptocurrencies, with no exemptions for brokers to facilitate such access. Vladislav Kochetkov, chairman of the management board at Finam, made this statement at a Capital Markets forum organized by RBC, underscoring the regulatory restriction's breadth.
The prohibition reflects a tiered approach to market access based on investor qualification status. Under this framework, brokers cannot circumvent the restriction by offering trading services to unqualified participants, effectively narrowing the pool of retail participants permitted to engage in crypto trading.
The exact scope of what qualifies an investor under Russian law and how enforcement is applied remains unclear from available statements. It is also unknown whether the restriction applies uniformly across all asset types or is specific to certain cryptocurrencies, or how this policy aligns with Russia's broader regulatory stance on digital assets.