Is Monero legal in Russia?

The legal situation in Russia

Russia legalised crypto investment through licensed intermediaries from 1 Sep 2026, but crypto still may not be used for domestic payments. The Bank of Russia's December 2025 concept excluded anonymous coins even for qualified investors, and the regulator said retail access would initially cover only BTC, ETH and USDT. Private ownership of crypto is legal. Rosfinmonitoring has developed tools aimed at de-anonymising Monero.

Key facts

• 2020-08-11: Rosfinmonitoring was reported to be building 'Transparent Blockchain' to partly reduce Monero and Dash anonymity.
• 2025-12-23: Bank of Russia concept excluded anonymous cryptocurrencies from even qualified investors.
• 2026-07-21: The State Duma passed the crypto market law; the central bank said only BTC, ETH and USDT currently meet the retail criteria.
• 2026-08-04: Law signed; core provisions effective 2026-09-01.

What this means for you

Owning Monero in your own wallet is legal, but regulated exchanges here do not list it or are being pushed to drop it. If you hold XMR on an exchange, read what to do when an exchange delists Monero and move it to a wallet you control. Only use buying routes that are legal where you live; see how to buy Monero.

Sources

cbr.ru, cointelegraph.com, meduza.io.

Sources are listed by publisher so you can look them up yourself; we do not link out.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Check the regulator's own website before acting.

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