PANews reported on January 29th that, according to DL News citing the Russian parliamentary gazette, Moscow will introduce Russian cryptocurrency regulations in July, allowing retail and institutional investors to purchase Bitcoin until mid-2027. Anatoly Aksakov, Chairman of the Financial Markets Committee of the Russian State Duma, stated that a comprehensive legislative framework will be ready by the end of June for a vote by State Duma deputies. If approved, the bill will take effect on July 1, 2027.

Aksakov stated that the bill will include regulations for cryptocurrency exchanges, and unregistered cryptocurrency exchange operators could face fines or imprisonment, similar to Russian laws targeting illegal banking operations. According to the plan, retail investors will need to pass a qualification test to trade cryptocurrencies, and there may be an annual purchase limit of $4,000. The central bank is expected to develop a whitelist of cryptocurrencies available for retail investors to trade, potentially including mainstream assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum; qualified investors will be able to trade tokens not on this list.