The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has updated the rules governing investments in digital financial assets (DFA) in Russia.
This regulation concerns products such as tokenized real assets and digital rights purchased by professional and retail investors in the domestic market.
Russia adopts DFA investor and product requirements
Russian financial authorities have announced new rules regarding the acquisition of digital financial assets by both domestic “accredited” and “non-accredited” investors.
The regulation applies to DFAs as defined in the Russian law “On Digital Financial Assets” from 2021 and covers products such as tokenized securities and other real assets, as well as digital rights.
Unlike cryptocurrencies, these products are issued on private blockchains managed by CBR-approved operators, but the bank plans to allow them to circulate on public networks next year to help Russian companies attract foreign investment.
According to the central bank’s directive, non-accredited investors will be free to acquire the most popular DFAs, and the dividends will not depend on any variable index. This also includes debt assets, the regulator said in a press release on Monday.
From 2026, the same group of retail investors will also have access to DFA, which provides returns based on changes in indicators such as inflation, key interest rates, and prices of precious metals and stocks.
Their purchases will be limited to a maximum of 600,000 rubles (about $7,700). However, the annual limit may be revised. If the digital asset is redeemed or sold within one year, the owner has the right to purchase additional DFAs with the proceeds.
The document corrects the classification of all DFAs available on the Russian market, business news agency RBC noted in a report. Regardless of who buys, they must have a high credit rating, the financial authorities said, stressing:
“Some of them also need to provide capital protection, meaning they provide a return on the initial investment.”
The acceptable rating level for DFA and its issuers will be set by a decision of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Russia, CBR further elaborates.
Digital financial assets (DFA) with increased risk will only be accessible to accredited investors, the bank stressed. The same applies to tokenized versions of securities.
Legal entities acquiring digital rights are not subject to any restrictions under the Bank of Russia’s latest framework.
New DFA rules based on Russia’s new crypto policy
The announcement of new regulations for investments in digital financial assets in Russia comes after the CBR published the outline of a new regulatory concept for cryptocurrencies in early December.
As reported by Cryptopolitan, the strategy aims to recognize cryptocurrencies and stablecoins as currencies or financial assets and expand investors’ access to decentralized digital assets.
The Central Bank of Russia is proposing to allow qualified investors to acquire any virtual currency they wish, except anonymous coins.
It also envisions allowing non-accredited investors to buy the most liquid digital currencies, like Bitcoin, for up to 300,000 rubles (about $3,800) per year.
The proposal has been submitted to the federal government, and Russian parliamentarians are expected to adopt each amendment by July 1, 2026.
Last week, the Monetary Policy Regulatory Authority revealed that virtual currency regulations will impact the domestic DFA market. One of the main changes is giving Russian companies the power to issue on public networks to attract capital from abroad.
According to forecasts made earlier this year, Russia’s crypto investment products market could exceed 2 trillion rubles, or $25 billion at the exchange rate at the time of writing, next year.
