Sberbank Wins Crypto Exchange License From Bank of Russia Ahead of December 1 Trading Launch

Published October 13, 2026, 22:50 UTC. Based on the Bank of Russia's register of digital-currency exchange operators and October 13, 2026 reporting by Cointelegraph, TradingView News, Blockchain Reporter, Crypto-Economy and Uni24, which cited Sberbank's press office via Vedomosti.

Sberbank, Russia's largest lender, has secured the Bank of Russia's approval to trade cryptocurrencies, winning a place on the central bank's register of crypto exchange operators ahead of a planned December 1 launch of Bitcoin, Ether and Tether's USDT trading, according to October 13 reporting by Cointelegraph. The updated register lists 10 authorized exchange operators and six digital custodians, up from four and five respectively a week earlier, with Sberbank joining fellow lender VTB and nonbank firms including T-Invest Lab and Atomyze.

Both licenses now in hand

Sberbank was already admitted to the digital depository register on October 6, among the first five custodians. Its addition to the exchange-operator register gives it both roles created under Russia's new digital-currency framework, which took effect September 1. An exchange operator may buy and sell digital currencies in its own name and quote prices directly to its own customers, according to Blockchain Reporter's reading of the framework, while a digital depository records who owns what and grants clients access to the address identifiers where their assets sit. VTB was previously the only market participant holding both licenses, per Blockchain Reporter.

The December 1 launch plan

Sberbank has said it plans to launch its first retail crypto products on December 1 through SberBank Online, SberInvestments and SberBusiness, with Bitcoin, Ether and USDT expected as the first supported assets, Cointelegraph reported. The bank has already begun testing crypto purchases, sales, deposits and withdrawals inside its SberBank Online app, Russian business newspaper Vedomosti reported, citing the bank's press office. The final launch timeline depends on additional central bank regulations, the bank said. Sberbank said the dual status lets it organize crypto circulation inside interfaces clients already use instead of steering them to a separate service.

A register that doubled in a week

The expansion caps a fast-moving first two weeks for Russia's new crypto licensing regime, which President Vladimir Putin's August crypto law placed under Bank of Russia oversight. The first registers, published a week earlier, named just four exchange operators and five custodians, and MABOnChain reported Sberbank's custodian status and December 1 target at the time. The country still prohibits using cryptocurrencies to pay for goods and services. Non-qualified investors face an annual purchase limit of 300,000 rubles per intermediary, according to Uni24's summary of the rules.

This article is news reporting and is not investment advice.

Sources

• The Bank of Russia's register of organizations authorized to exchange digital currencies, primary source for the operator count and Sberbank's listing, referenced via Cointelegraph's October 13, 2026 reporting
• Sberbank's press office, via Vedomosti's reporting cited by TradingView News and Cointelegraph, primary source for the in-app testing and the December 1 target being subject to further central bank regulation
• Cointelegraph, "Sberbank Secures Russia's Approval for Crypto Trading" (October 13, 2026), secondary source for the register update, the asset lineup and the launch platforms
• Blockchain Reporter, "Sberbank Crypto Trading: Russia Approves BTC, ETH" (October 13, 2026), secondary source for what each license permits and Sberbank's October 6 custodian admission
• TradingView News, "Russia clears Sberbank for crypto trading ahead of December launch" (October 13, 2026), secondary source for the register growth from four and five to 10 and six
• Crypto-Economy and Uni24 (October 13, 2026), secondary sources for the December 1 launch details and the retail purchase-limit figures