Russia’s central bank has released the first official registers of cryptocurrency operators approved under the country’s new digital asset rules, marking the first visible rollout of a framework that took effect on Sept. 1.
The Bank of Russia’s lists name four authorized exchange operators and five digital custodians. The move follows a law signed by President Vladimir Putin in August that brought crypto exchanges, custodians, brokers and investors into a regulated structure while keeping Russia’s ban on using cryptocurrency to pay for goods and services.
First operators appear on central bank registers
According to the Bank of Russia’s first published registers, the approved digital custodians include Sberbank, Atomyze, Voltari and Cloud Infrastructure, while VTB Bank appears on the custody list as well. On the exchange side, the register includes T-Invest Lab, Zefir and Sistema-Crypto, with VTB also listed there.
That means VTB Bank is present on both registers, while Sberbank has been approved as a custodian. The publication of the lists is the first formal indication of which institutions have cleared the initial authorization process under the new regime.
Sberbank prepares first crypto products
Sberbank, the country’s largest bank, said it had applied for digital custodian status and intends to launch its first cryptocurrency products on Dec. 1.
The bank said its initial offering would support Bitcoin, Ether and USDt. Those products are planned to be available through SberBank Online, SberInvestments and SberBusiness, extending access across its retail, investment and business-facing platforms.
Law took effect in September
The registrations stem from a crypto law signed in August by President Vladimir Putin. The legislation established a regulated framework covering exchanges, custodians, brokers and investors, putting supervision of the sector under the Bank of Russia.
The rules entered into force on Sept. 1, and the newly published registers represent the first implementation step described in the source material. While the law opens a formal path for licensed market infrastructure, it does not remove all existing restrictions.
What remains unchanged
Under the new law, Russia continues to prohibit the use of cryptocurrency as a means of payment for goods and services. In other words, the framework creates regulated channels for parts of the crypto market without legalizing crypto payments in the domestic economy.
The next confirmed milestone mentioned so far is Sberbank’s planned Dec. 1 launch of its first crypto products, following its inclusion on the central bank’s custody register.
Source: cointelegraph.com