Advertising of crypto services in Russia: a paradoxical transition period until 2027
The Russian digital assets market is entering an extremely ambiguous phase. Starting September 1, 2026, regulations come into force that, for the first time in two years, partially lift the ban on advertising services related to organizing cryptocurrency circulation. However, the direct ban on advertising the digital currencies themselves remains fully in effect. This creates a unique legal collision to which the market is only beginning to adapt.
Let me remind you that since August 19, 2024, Federal Law No. 221-FZ introduced a total ban on promoting not only cryptocurrencies but also any goods, works, and services associated with their circulation. That was logical at the time: with a complete absence of industry regulation, the state deliberately cut off marketing's oxygen supply to avoid creating an illusion of legality among an unlimited circle of people.
The example of mining is telling. In that same August 2024, the state legalized this activity and created a separate regulated regime for it, but the largest advertising platforms, including Yandex.Direct, almost immediately banned the promotion of mining, exchangers, blockchain, smart contracts, and ICOs. An absurd situation arose: the business is permitted, but informing the consumer about it is not.
New rules of the game
Now the situation is changing. Federal Laws No. 282-FZ and No. 283-FZ dated 04.08.2026 have been adopted. The first creates the regulated organization of cryptocurrency circulation itself and defines its legal participants. The second introduces extensive amendments to related acts, including the Law "On Advertising." Both documents were published on August 4, 2026.
Key nuance: advertising Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, or any other specific coin is still prohibited. You cannot make BTC the "asset of the week," call for "buying USDT today," or promise growth of a specific currency. However, advertising services for organizing circulation is now permitted. The state has finally created a framework: rules have been defined, and conditions for obtaining the statuses of legal crypto exchangers, digital depositories, and other participants have been established. For this purpose, a special Article 29.2 has been added to the Law "On Advertising."
A chronological fork in the road
Here is where it gets most interesting. The new advertising relaxations take effect as early as September 1, 2026, but they apply only to cryptocurrency circulation participants from the Central Bank's registry. At the same time, the full regime, under which only registry participants will be able to engage in organizing circulation, is activated only from July 1, 2027.
What does this mean in practice? Exchangers can continue operating under the old rules until that date, but the new advertising conditions do not apply to them—they are simply not in the registry, which the Central Bank itself has not yet opened. The market enters an unusual transitional period: the rules already exist, but the admission infrastructure is only being launched. This is not a complete legal vacuum, but it is an obvious regulatory desynchronization.
My analysis: this situation is a classic example of how the legislator attempts to balance consumer protection with industry development. However, such a time gap creates a zone of uncertainty for bona fide players who would like to legalize but are forced to wait for the Central Bank's infrastructure. Until mid-2027, the market will live in a gray zone where old prohibitions have formally weakened, while new clear rules have not yet fully taken effect.