Sberbank joins Bank of Russia crypto exchange list as count hits ten

Key takeaways

  • Sberbank was added to the Bank of Russia register of crypto exchange organizations on Monday, bringing the list to ten firms.
  • The listing lets Russia’s largest bank buy and sell digital currencies on its own account, outside organized trading, under the central bank’s definition of the role.
  • Sberbank and VTB are the only firms on both the exchange register and the separate register of digital depositories; the depository list reached six after TT joined the same day.
  • Sberbank planned crypto trading infrastructure and a digital depository by December 1, with services inside SberBank Online, SberInvestments and SberBusiness, and no separate app.

What happened

The Monday listing moved Sberbank closer to a crypto trading launch under the central bank’s register framework. According to Interfax, the exchange register role allows the bank to buy and sell digital currencies on its own account, outside organized trading, as defined by the Bank of Russia. The bank was already present on the regulator’s separate register of digital depositories.

A digital depository keeps the record of clients’ crypto holdings, handles transfers between clients, and gives clients access to the addresses where those assets are held. Sberbank applied for depository status on the first day applications opened. It said it would start with Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and the stablecoin Tether (USDT). The services will run inside SberBank Online, SberInvestments and SberBusiness, without a separate app.

Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman of Sberbank, said on July 24 that the bank planned to build crypto trading infrastructure and a digital depository by December 1. The State Duma had passed the crypto law in its third reading three days earlier. The bank’s path to these services is not new: it secured a license to issue and exchange digital assets in March 2022. Since 2025, it has sold structured bonds and digital financial assets tied to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). In December 2025, Sberbank completed a pilot of loans backed by crypto collateral.

Market context

The exchange register reached ten firms through a sequence of additions after application windows opened. Banks and other firms could apply for both registers from October 5. A day later, the Bank of Russia added four crypto exchange organizations and five depositories. VTB, T-Invest Lab, Zefir and Sistema-Crypto made up that first exchange list. T-Invest Lab belongs to T-Technologies, the group that also owns T-Bank.

The list expanded quickly. Non-bank credit organization FinPilot and Professional Bank joined the exchange list next, on October 8. Moi Bitcoin and Kirov-based lender Khlynov followed on October 9. Sberbank and Ryazan-registered Paradise Technology were the latest exchange-list additions, joining on Monday. The depository list grew the same day, to six, when a firm named TT joined.

The central bank said the first nine entries were admitted under transitional provisions of Russia’s law on digital currencies and digital rights, in force since September 1. Registered firms must follow the central bank’s rules for crypto transactions from the day they are listed. Full compliance with the law is due by September 1, 2027.

Why it matters

Sberbank’s dual position is the most concrete fact for readers. It is Russia’s largest bank, it is already licensed for digital asset issuance and exchange, and it is now listed on the exchange register while also sitting on the depository register. That places it inside two regulator-defined roles: own-account crypto buying and selling, and custody-related record keeping and transfers.

The timing also matters. The December 1 target follows the State Duma’s third-reading passage of the crypto law and the central bank’s register process. But the source describes Sberbank’s plan and listing, not a completed trading launch. The current exchange register role is specific: buying and selling on the bank’s own account, outside organized trading. The planned products are also specific: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT), delivered inside existing SberBank Online, SberInvestments and SberBusiness interfaces.

The regulatory timeline creates both clarity and uncertainty. The law has been in force since September 1, and registered firms must follow central bank transaction rules from listing. Full compliance is due by September 1, 2027. Until then, the central bank has admitted entries under transitional provisions. Readers can track whether the December 1 infrastructure target is met and whether the ten-firm exchange list grows further.

What to watch

  • Whether Sberbank completes crypto trading infrastructure and a digital depository by December 1, as described by Alexander Vedyakhin.
  • Whether Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT) services appear inside SberBank Online, SberInvestments and SberBusiness without a separate app.
  • Whether the exchange register remains at ten firms or adds more banks and non-bank credit organizations after October 5, October 8, October 9 and Monday’s additions.
  • Whether the depository list grows beyond six, after TT joined alongside Sberbank and Paradise Technology on Monday.
  • How registered firms meet the central bank’s transaction rules before full compliance is due by September 1, 2027.