Banks have been given less than three months to transition to the new generation of cryptographic protection — the deadline for FSB certificates is approaching.
Russian banks are facing a tight time window: FSB certificates for the ViPNet Coordinator HW4 cryptographic information protection system expire on October 29. This means credit institutions must migrate to the new generation of hardware — HW5 — within a compressed timeframe. Delay threatens not only technical failures in processing and ATM operations, but also complete loss of access to the interagency electronic interaction system.
The core of the issue: certificates, not support
A key point many underestimate: this is specifically about the validity period of FSB certificates, not technical support for the product. Technical support for ViPNet Coordinator HW4 will continue until December 31, 2027, and users with active extended support certificates can transition to HW5 before that date at no additional cost. However, this does not grant the right to use the old hardware after October 29 — it will formally become illegitimate for processing banking traffic.
The question of the transition procedure was raised as early as November 18, 2025, and some clients have already completed migration. But the remaining banks are in a time crunch: less than three months to purchase, install, and configure new equipment.
Context: synchronization with the crypto reform
This technical deadline overlaps with a large-scale restructuring of financial infrastructure. In early August, the president signed a law on comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation, defining rules for exchangers, depositories, brokers, and trading organizers. Most of the provisions take effect on September 1. In parallel, the Central Bank is preparing infrastructure for exchange-based crypto trading with official prices and trading halt mechanisms, as well as outlining the structure of digital depositories for asset accounting and custody.
The digital ruble remains a separate track, around which a pool of changes and assessments of public readiness has already formed. Against this backdrop, the transition to HW5 is not just a hardware upgrade, but a necessary part of synchronizing the technical base with the new legal framework. The market effect is already visible: amid regulatory pressure, cryptocurrency in Russia trades at a discount, and part of the demand shifts to exchangers and over-the-counter platforms.
My view: In this situation, banks should treat the deadline not as a bureaucratic formality, but as a point of no return. Those who fail to make it risk being cut off from key financial channels at the very moment the market begins to legitimize. This creates a competitive advantage for those who have already completed migration and adds chaos to an already turbulent transition period.