St. Petersburg Exchange plans to launch cryptocurrency trading by end of 2026 after establishing a digital settlement depository approved by Russia's central bank.
Regulation & Gov ·
The St. Petersburg Exchange plans to begin cryptocurrency trading by the end of 2026, contingent on completing regulatory infrastructure. A representative stated the platform is establishing a digital settlement depository and preparing to register it in Russia's central bank's registry of digital depositories, steps required to launch such operations.
The move represents a structured entry into crypto trading within Russia's regulatory framework rather than an uncontrolled market launch. The depository must be approved and included in the Bank of Russia's official registry before trading can commence, linking the timeline directly to the completion of these compliance procedures.
Several questions remain unresolved: whether the central bank will approve the depository application on schedule, what asset classes or trading pairs the exchange intends to offer, and how this initiative aligns with broader Russian policy on digital assets. The end-2026 target assumes successful regulatory clearance across all required steps.