Russia’s crypto market just got a lot narrower. Starting later this month, retail investors in the country will be able to buy only three digital assets, and even then only up to a fixed annual amount, under a new Russia crypto purchase cap that regulators are moving to finalize. The Bank of Russia published a draft directive on August 11, 2026, naming Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether’s USDT as the sole cryptocurrencies non-qualified investors will be permitted to purchase, closing a gap left open when President Vladimir Putin signed the country’s new digital asset law just a week earlier.

Key takeaways

• Federal Law No. 282-FZ, signed by Putin on August 4, 2026, caps non-qualified retail crypto purchases at 300,000 rubles (about…