Moscow Exchange plans Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT trading from December 1 - Crypto News

The exchange will operate under Russia's new cryptocurrency regulations that took effect on September 1, establishing rules for trading, custody and investor access. Trading is expected to run from 6:50 a.m. to 11:50 p.m. Moscow time, utilizing the existing stock market infrastructure to reduce additional costs for brokers and other professional participants.

Boris Blokhin, the exchange's senior managing director for sales and business development, announced the plans during the Smartlab investment conference in Moscow. He confirmed that several clients were already testing the system and that the exchange had begun testing cryptocurrency transactions with professional market participants.

Retail investment limits

The launch will operate under Russia's regulated crypto trading framework, which allows qualified and nonqualified investors to buy cryptocurrencies through authorized intermediaries, subject to different access conditions. Nonqualified investors must pass a knowledge assessment before purchasing approved cryptocurrencies.

Their annual purchases are limited to 300,000 rubles through each intermediary, while qualified investors face no equivalent purchase ceiling, although they must meet the applicable testing requirements. The regulator selected Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT for retail access based on criteria including trading history, liquidity and market capitalization.

Digital depositories handle custody

While Moscow Exchange will provide the trading venue, partner digital depositories will hold and account for customer cryptocurrencies. This division follows the registration of Russia's first cryptocurrency exchange operators and digital custodians in October.

Among the early participants were financial institutions connected to Sberbank, VTB and T-Technologies, which have been preparing digital asset services under the new legislation. Brokers will provide customers with access to trading, while the depositories will maintain records of their digital asset holdings.

Exchange expands crypto offerings

The December plan would add direct cryptocurrency transactions to an exchange that already offers financial products linked to digital asset prices. In September, Moscow Exchange introduced five crypto perpetual futures tied to Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP and Tron indexes, with access restricted to qualified investors.

The exchange previously reported that more than 72,000 qualified investors had traded its cryptocurrency futures, with cumulative turnover exceeding 600 billion rubles. Meanwhile, Sberbank has been preparing its own December cryptocurrency service, including trading, custody and settlement facilities for eligible customers.

Blokhin said Moscow Exchange expects demand for its new service, citing the departure of foreign cryptocurrency platforms from the Russian market. He pointed to existing activity in cryptocurrency-linked futures as evidence of investor interest and said the exchange would continue collecting feedback from participating brokers throughout the testing period.