The Central Bank of Russia has issued a significant update on its stance on cryptocurrencies, granting permission for qualified investors to trade in cryptocurrency derivatives. Local financial institutions are now allowed to offer these derivative instruments with restrictions.
Specifically, the Central Bank has authorized trading in non-deliverable cryptocurrency-based derivatives, meaning investors will directly expose themselves to price fluctuations and not receive actual cryptocurrency payments. The bank emphasized that direct investment in cryptocurrencies remains discouraged for all stakeholders.
The move represents a step towards controlled access to cryptocurrency-related financial products under strict regulations. The Russian government is currently exploring the implementation of a test regime where transactions with cryptocurrencies will be limited to specific investor categories before full integration.