The State Duma adopted the law "On Digital Currencies and Digital Rights" in the third reading. The document creates a comprehensive regulation of the turnover of cryptocurrencies in Russia — from purchases by citizens through licensed intermediaries to exchange trading, clearing and digital depositories. Together with it, satellite Law No. 1194929-8 was adopted, which brings almost two dozen existing laws under new regulation.
For foreign economic activity, the main thing is a direct permit. All types of cryptocurrencies and stablecoins are allowed in settlements under foreign trade agreements between residents and non-residents. This brings out of the shadows the schemes that exporters and importers used to circumvent sanctions restrictions in banking channels, and gives them legal protection.
The law assigns the status of property to digital currency and introduces judicial protection of rights under such transactions. Supervision of the sphere is provided by the Bank of Russia. The Board of Directors of the Central Bank will be able to allow cryptocurrencies that do not meet the general criteria to be publicly traded for up to six months.
Along with the possibilities, the law imposes restrictions on the movement of funds. Withdrawing over 100,000 rubles to your own non—custodial wallet will require a "cooling-off period" - a pause of 48 hours before performing the operation. This is an anti-fraud measure against fraudulent transfers under pressure. Crypto exchanges will be able to transfer the purchased currency only to the buyer's account, and from September 2027 they will be required to check the accounts of the recipients. A limit on investments in crypto assets is being introduced for unqualified investors.
The dates are spaced out. The law comes into force on September 1, 2026, and some of its provisions will be implemented later: regulations on restricting money transfers will be effective from July 1, 2027.
Companies that have been waiting for a legal crypto channel for foreign trade have already started counting down to September 1. It is worthwhile to prescribe the settlement currency and payment method in advance in contracts with counterparties, and for large transactions, to include a 48—hour delay in the payment schedule so that the cooling pause does not disrupt the delivery time.
