Moscow Exchange plans to open cryptocurrency trading on Dec. 1, senior managing director Boris Blohin said. The exchange is testing a service that would settle trades through a partner digital depository.
Market participants will be able to open accounts with the partner settlement depository. Blohin told Interfax that testing began a week ago. He said no additional permits or licenses would be required to launch the service.
Russia’s law on digital currencies and digital rights took effect on Sept. 1, establishing a comprehensive framework for cryptocurrency circulation. Transactions are expected to be conducted through exchanges, brokers, trust managers, crypto exchanges and digital depositories.
Earlier, Moscow Exchange supervisory board chairman Sergei Shvetsov said trading could begin in early 2027. He also said the exchange expected to capture some of the fees Russians currently pay through informal domestic and offshore infrastructure.