Moscow Exchange plans to launch Bitcoin, Ether and USDT trading on Dec. 1, in what it calls Russia’s first organized digital currency market. Pilot trades will begin as participants join the platform, so the announcement does not establish that trading will start for everyone on that date. Non-qualified investors must pass a test before buying crypto and will be limited to 300,000 rubles in purchases annually per broker.
Russian law permits regulated crypto trading but still bans cryptocurrency payments for goods and services in Russia. Moscow Exchange and its clearing center are under US sanctions. Sergey Mendeleev, founder of a Russian cross-border payments platform, said he doubted the market would attract substantial demand and warned that investors could face wide gaps between buying and selling prices.
