Advertising crypto services in Russia: a strange transition period and new rules of the game
Starting September 1, 2026, advertising of services for organizing cryptocurrency circulation will be permitted in Russia for the first time in two years. However, the ban on advertising the digital currencies themselves remains in effect. This creates a unique and, at first glance, paradoxical situation in the market, which I will analyze in this analytical article.
Until recently, the answer to the question about advertising cryptocurrencies and related services was extremely simple: not allowed. Federal Law No. 221-FZ of August 19, 2024, introduced a broad ban on advertising digital currencies, as well as goods, works, and services related to organizing their circulation. The wording turned out to be so broad that the effect extended far beyond the exchangers themselves. For example, Yandex.Direct updated its rules and banned advertising of mining, crypto exchangers, blockchain, smart contracts, and ICOs. A strange effect emerged: the state legalized mining, but the largest advertising platform effectively banned advertising it.
In practice, this meant that one could not write "Buy USDT at a favorable rate" or "Exchange Bitcoin in 15 minutes." The market, however, was not too concerned: even now, in public listings of exchangers, users are directly offered to buy and sell USDT, BTC, ETH, compare rates, and choose a specific service. Market participants continued to operate as if the advertising bans did not exist.
What changes in September
Now a regulated framework is emerging. Federal Law No. 282-FZ of August 4, 2026, "On Digital Currencies and Digital Rights" and Federal Law No. 283-FZ of August 4, 2026, have been adopted. The first creates the regulated organization of cryptocurrency circulation itself and defines its legal participants. The second restructures a large number of related laws, including the Advertising Law. Both documents were officially published on August 4, 2026.
From September 1, 2026, the ban on advertising digital currencies themselves remains in effect. It is not allowed to advertise Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, or any other specific cryptocurrency. One cannot make BTC the "asset of the week," offer to "buy USDT today," or promise growth of a specific coin. However, advertising of services for organizing the circulation of digital currencies is now permitted. The state has created a regulated framework: rules for organizing circulation have been defined, and conditions have been established for obtaining the statuses of legal crypto exchangers, digital depositories, and other participants.
There is an interesting point here. The new advertising conditions take effect as early as September 1, 2026, but they apply only to cryptocurrency circulation participants from the Central Bank registry. The full regime, under which only registry participants are entitled to organize circulation, will be activated only on July 1, 2027. Exchangers can operate under the old rules until that date, but the new advertising conditions do not apply to such players — they are not in the registry, which the Central Bank itself has not yet opened.
Thus, the market enters an unusual transitional period. The new advertising rules already exist, but the new licensing infrastructure is only being launched. As of August, the Bank of Russia has published drafts of the procedures for maintaining registries and other necessary acts. This is not a complete legal vacuum — the law specifically provided for transitional mechanisms — but a certain regulatory inconsistency is obvious.
My analytical conclusion: This transitional period creates a window of opportunity for gray schemes and unfair advertising until the Central Bank registry becomes fully operational. However, for legal players, this is a chance to build marketing strategies in advance in accordance with the new requirements, so that by July 2027 they can enter the market with a clean track record and a competitive advantage. Watch developments closely — this transitional period will shape the landscape of the Russian crypto industry for years to come.