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Russia Approves Trading of Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT—But No XRP

Russia's central bank approved retail trading of Bitcoin, Ethereum and Tether (USDT) after they met its liquidity requirements, meaning they have enough cash‑like assets to support trading, while XRP and other assets remain prohibited.

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What happened

Russia’s central bank approved retail trading of Bitcoin, Ethereum and Tether (USDT) after they met its liquidity requirements, meaning they have enough cash‑like assets to support trading, while XRP and other assets remain prohibited.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

Allowing these three crypto assets gives Russian retail investors legal access, potentially increasing domestic trading volume and shaping demand for crypto services in the country.

Analyst inference

The decision aligns Russia with other jurisdictions that permit limited crypto trading, but the exclusion of XRP shows a selective regulatory approach that could influence how other tokens are treated globally.

Analyst inference

What to watch

  1. Regulatory updates on whether additional cryptocurrencies will meet the liquidity bar, which is the cash‑reserve threshold needed for approval. Proposed
  2. Changes in Russian retail trading volumes for BTC, ETH, and USDT following the approval. Analyst inference
  3. Potential reactions from exchanges and custodians regarding compliance costs and service expansion in Russia. Analyst inference

Affected assets

  • ETH — Ethereum
  • XRP — XRP
  • BTC — Bitcoin
  • USDT — Tether

Evidence