Sber, Russia’s largest lender, plans to let customers buy and store cryptocurrency directly with the bank by the end of this year. The launch depends on how quickly new digital currency rules take effect.
First Deputy Chairman Kirill Tsarev said Sber wants its crypto wallet and digital depository online by December 1. This timeline holds only if lawmakers and the central bank finish key legislation on schedule.
Sber’s December Target for Crypto Services
According to Russian media reports, Sber is preparing a “crypto wallet and digital depository to store, account for, and manage assets.” It aims to launch the service on December 1, 2026.
The bank plans to offer custody and accounting for digital assets. This would give clients a regulated way to keep crypto on infrastructure linked to Sber and the Bank of Russia.
Tsarev said the launch “will be possible only after the law on digital currency is fully implemented.” His remark directly ties the schedule to Russia’s broader digital money plans.
Russia has already passed a law for the staged rollout of its national digital currency, the digital ruble. Mass adoption by major banks and large companies will start on September 1, 2026.
Banks must provide customers with digital ruble wallets on the central bank’s platform. They must also support a universal QR code for payments.
As these rules take effect, Sber’s crypto plans sit beside the digital ruble program. They point to a future where customers hold both state‑issued and market‑based digital assets in the same banking apps.
Regulatory Conditions for Sber’s Crypto Wallet
Lawmakers in the State Duma are pushing a bill on “digital currency and digital rights” to define cryptocurrencies and limit their use in domestic payments. The bill would place the crypto market under strict central bank supervision.
The Bank of Russia proposes that non‑qualified investors may buy only the most liquid coins, and only after testing and within an annual cap, while professional investors enjoy broader access. It expects rules for crypto intermediaries to be in place by July 1, 2026, and plans to introduce liability for illegal operations from mid‑2027.
Tsarev’s comments align with this approach, as he said Sber’s crypto wallet and depository will operate only “within the regulatory perimeter” set by the Bank of Russia and federal laws. Sber has already built blockchain infrastructure and gained approval for a digital asset issuance platform that integrates with Ethereum and MetaMask, so the new services would extend tools some corporate clients already use.
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