Moscow Exchange to Launch Bitcoin and USDT Trading in December
Moscow Exchange plans December launch for crypto trading
The Moscow Exchange, Russia's largest platform for buying and selling assets, plans to begin trading major cryptocurrencies on December 1. The exchange will list Bitcoin, Ether, and USDT, a stablecoin which is a digital asset designed to maintain a value equal to the U.S. dollar.
Trading will be available to Russian investors during the same hours as the local stock market, running from 06:50 to 23:50 Moscow time. The National Clearing Centre, which handles the settlement of trades, will manage the transactions.
Key details of the new trading system
- Trading begins on December 1, 2026.
- Available assets include Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and Tether (USDT).
- Transactions will be cleared by the National Clearing Centre.
- Trading hours will match the existing Moscow stock market schedule.
New rules and limits for Russian investors
The exchange is introducing specific rules for people who want to trade these digital assets. Regular investors must pass a special test before they can participate. These investors will also face an annual purchase limit of 300,000 rubles, which is approximately $3,700, through any single broker.
Qualified investors, who meet certain professional or financial criteria, will not have any limits on how much they can buy. This move is part of an effort by the exchange to bring crypto trading that Russians currently do on foreign platforms back to a domestic market.
Uncertainty over U.S. sanctions
Both the Moscow Exchange and the National Clearing Centre are currently under U.S. sanctions. The U.S. Treasury added them to a blocked list in June 2024. This situation creates uncertainty regarding USDT, which is issued by a company called Tether.
Tether has a policy of freezing digital wallets that are placed on the U.S. sanctions list. It is currently unclear how Tether will respond to its stablecoin being traded and held through a sanctioned clearing house and exchange.
Why the move to domestic trading matters
Russian officials believe that a significant amount of crypto trading already happens in the country. The Deputy Finance Minister previously estimated that daily crypto turnover in Russia reached 50 billion rubles. By offering these assets on the Moscow Exchange, the country hopes to capture a portion of the trading volume that currently flows through offshore exchanges.
One official from Sberbank estimated that trading under these new rules could reach up to 4 trillion rubles, or about $49 billion, in the first year. However, if daily turnover remains around 11 billion rubles as projected for the first year, much of the activity may still remain on foreign platforms.
Sources
Newisty Editorial Team covers technology, cryptocurrency, digital products, online platforms, developer tools and the wider digital economy. Our content is researched from official sources, company announcements, public documentation, market data and other primary or reputable sources. Articles are reviewed and edited before publication for clarity, accuracy and useful context.