Russia’s Finance Ministry plans to lower barriers to crypto trading by reducing income thresholds for citizens.
The Russian Finance Ministry is preparing to make cryptocurrency trading more accessible for its citizens.
Officials want to lower the barriers that currently prevent ordinary citizens from joining the Central Bank’s supervised pilot program.
According to Alexey Yakovlev, Director of the Ministry’s Financial Policy Department says that the government is actively working on removing barriers that prevent anyone aside from the rich from participating.
The ministry believes that these rules must change if the project is to fulfil its purpose.
Current Rules Limit Access to Wealthy Citizens
The Central Bank introduced an experimental legal regime (ELR) earlier this year in March, as a sandbox for crypto activity. The idea was to allow qualified investors to test trading systems while regulators study the risks.
Yet the requirements to join are extremely high.
BREAKING:
THE BANK OF RUSSIA AUTHORIZES RESTRICTED CRYPTO PURCHASES FOR INVESTORS.
BULLISH 🚀 pic.twitter.com/FbLRDPjWsz
— Ash Crypto (@Ashcryptoreal) March 12, 2025
Individuals must hold more than 100 million rubles ($1.23 million) in securities and deposits, or show an annual income above 50 million rubles ($615,753). This restricts participation to only a select group of wealthy investors known as “superquals.”
Average monthly salaries in Russia range between $700 and $1,200. This means that for most citizens, the thresholds are completely unreachable. Yakovlev explained that while some restrictions should still be left intact, excluding the majority is a bad approach.
Tensions Between the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank
The Finance Ministry and the Central Bank have clashed over crypto regulation for years. The ministry has supported regulated access and taxation. On the other hand, the bank continues to push for an outright ban on trading and related services.
Last year, President Vladimir Putin intervened and instructed both sides to compromise.
This directive set the stage for the ELR and limited investor access. Since then, the Central Bank has continued to warn that crypto markets are too risky for average citizens.
It has even proposed banning all transactions outside the pilot framework and imposing criminal penalties for citizens who break the law.
Despite these restrictions, Russian citizens are estimated to hold more than $25 billion in digital assets.
General Crypto Strategy in Russia
The debate over trading rules shows Russia’s trend toward digital assets. Under Western sanctions, the country has looked to cryptocurrencies for trade settlements and other use cases.
Bitcoin has already been used in cross-border transactions, and authorities have promoted crypto mining in energy-rich regions.
Additionally, in May, the Central Bank allowed qualified investors to trade Bitcoin futures. Local reports show that $16 million worth was purchased in the first month. Moscow has also permitted brokers and banks to look into crypto-based securities and derivatives.
This shows that there is a gradual rate of acceptance, despite regulatory friction.
Toward Permanent Regulation
The ELR was designed as a three-year temporary framework. Yakovlev confirmed that once the trial ends, the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank will draft permanent laws.
Russia's Finance Ministry wants to lower barriers for citizens to trade crypto. This move aims to expand the pilot program beyond a small group of "super-qualified" investors and promote wider adoption. It's another sign of Russia's evolving stance on digital assets. #Crypto… pic.twitter.com/i53w1ewpUi
— CryptoniteUae (@CryptoniteUae) September 5, 2025
For now, however, the barrier-lowering is the next most important step for Russia, especially when it comes to building a system that works for more than a small group of investors.
