Russia has registered its first crypto exchange operators and digital custodians under the new framework that took effect on Sept. 1. The Bank of Russia published initial registers listing four exchange operators—T-Invest Lab, Zefir and Sistema-Crypto among them—and five custodians including Sberbank, Atomyze, Voltari and Cloud Infrastructure; VTB Bank appears on both lists.
Sberbank said it applied for custodian status and plans to launch crypto products on Dec. 1 via SberBank Online, SberInvestments and SberBusiness, naming Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and USDt/USDT as intended supports. Later reports emphasized Sberbank’s approval specifically to offer custody services and noted an initial emphasis on Bitcoin. The registrations follow an August law that places the market under the Bank of Russia while maintaining a ban on crypto payments.