Central Bank Greenlights First Crypto Dealers as VTB Secures Dual Role

Russia’s central bank has added the first eight firms to its new registers for digital asset custody and crypto dealing. Five entities can now hold and transfer digital currencies, while four are authorised to buy and sell them on their own books.

VTB is the only company listed in both categories. Sberbank, Atomize, Voltari and Cloud Infrastructure join it as depositories; T-Invest Lab, Zephyr and System-Crypto appear as exchangers.

The move fills a gap left by the crypto law that took effect on 1 September: the rules existed, but no licensed intermediaries had been approved. The entry criteria came into force on 5 October and the first names were published the next day.

Client access is still months away. VTB expects to open trading inside its investment app in November and its own exchange service only in December 2026. All registered firms must fully align their operations with the new rules by 1 September 2027.

Based on information from cryptonews.net