Economist names a legal way to bypass the Central Bank's cryptocurrency limit and raise the annual cap to millions
The introduction by the Bank of Russia of restrictions on the purchase of digital assets for unqualified investors is an expected step, but not a final verdict for retail traders. The regulator has set a threshold of 300,000 rubles per year per intermediary, however, as my analysis shows, this rule leaves room for a completely legal maneuver. The key point is that the limit is tied not to the client's total investment volume, but to each specific platform: a broker, crypto exchange, or management company.
This means that distributing purchases among several licensed intermediaries allows for a multiple increase in the total investment volume without violating formal requirements. The mechanism is extremely transparent: if each broker's threshold of 300,000 rubles is calculated separately, then working with three or four platforms automatically expands the annual budget to 900,000–1.2 million rubles. There are no legal conflicts — the regulator does not make claims against such diversification.
Who the restrictions apply to
It is important to understand that the new rules apply specifically to unqualified investors — that is, the majority of retail market participants without specialized education and special testing. However, for experienced players who have passed qualification procedures or meet educational requirements, the restrictions do not apply at all. This creates a curious imbalance: while formally protecting beginners, the regulator actually encourages them to study the market and obtain the status of a qualified investor.
It is telling that only three coins were included in the list of permitted assets — bitcoin, Ethereum, and the USDT stablecoin. The selection was based on strict criteria: market capitalization, liquidity, and at least five years of pricing history on foreign platforms. This automatically cuts off young and low-liquidity projects, which, in my opinion, is quite reasonable from the standpoint of protecting retail investors.
Practical aspect and my assessment
For everyday needs, 300,000 rubles per year is quite sufficient, but when purchasing real estate or a car abroad, this amount is clearly not enough. That is why the issue of bypassing the threshold remains relevant for a significant portion of buyers. In July 2026, bitcoin showed growth of 10.1%, outpacing all Russian sectoral indices and foreign stocks, which only fuels retail interest in digital assets.
From my point of view, the regulator deliberately left room for diversification among intermediaries — this is a compromise between protecting beginners and maintaining their access to the market. However, I advise investors to view this approach not as a way to circumvent the rules, but as a tool for sound risk management. Distributing funds among several licensed platforms is also a natural diversification of counterparty risks, which is especially important in the current environment.