Advertising of crypto services in Russia: new bans and mandatory warnings starting September 2026
Starting September 1, 2026, Russian crypto exchanges and digital deposit services will gain the right to advertise, but with unprecedented restrictions. The new legislation introduces strict requirements for wording and mandates that advertising materials include a mandatory set of warnings. This fundamentally changes the rules of the game for the entire industry.
The law establishes four mandatory elements in every advertising campaign: the full name of the organization providing the services; disclosure of the information source in accordance with legislation; a warning about the high risks of digital currencies and the possibility of total loss of funds; as well as a reference to the restrictions on crypto-asset transactions established by law.
What can and cannot be written
As soon as an exchange is added to the Central Bank's registry, the rules become transparent. For example, a service may state: "Exchange X. Digital currency exchange services. Fee — 0.5%," necessarily supplementing this with the prescribed information. It is permitted to advertise the speed of processing requests, service procedures, commissions, office, application, or transaction execution technology.
However, wording such as "USDT at the best rate — exchange in two minutes" or promotions like "BTC without commission until the end of the week" are prohibited. Such statements effectively advertise a specific digital currency, which is directly banned by the new Article 29.2 of the law.
Similar restrictions apply to digital depositories. A service may discuss technology, accounting procedures, interface, and the depository service itself, but not specific assets. Phrases like "Store Bitcoin with us without risk" or "Best custody for BTC and USDT. Guaranteed safety" are now illegal — they create a false impression of security and advertise specific coins.
The key principle is simple: advertise the infrastructure and service, but do not sell a specific asset to a person or create investment promises. It is prohibited to guarantee future returns, even based on historical data, or to forecast exchange rate changes.
Placement channels
The methods of placing advertising are virtually unrestricted, but context matters. On a company's own website, a neutral description of services, rates, and features may be considered reference information rather than advertising. But as soon as a separate banner, pop-up, bright call to action, or special offer appears, the material is automatically recognized as advertising with all the resulting requirements.
In a personal account and mobile application, a user may see balances, transaction history, and prices — this is functional information. However, a push notification like "BTC rose 12% — buy now" or a carousel of "top coins of the week" is already prohibited.
Email and SMS mailings are permitted only with the recipient's prior consent, and the burden of proving such consent lies with the advertising distributor. This is especially challenging for SMS: a short message must fit both the offer and all mandatory disclosures. Fines for legal entities for violating advertising requirements in telecommunications networks reach 1 million rubles, and the FAS is actively initiating such cases in 2026.
External online advertising — banners and paid integrations — is also possible, but requirements for erid labeling are added to the crypto restrictions. Fines for violations in this area reach 500 thousand rubles. Even a huge Bitcoin sign on a screen with a small footnote saying "exchange services" will not help: the object of advertising will still be recognized as a specific cryptocurrency.
My analysis: This law is not just a formality, but a clear signal to the market: the regulator seeks to separate service infrastructure from investment products. For honest players, this is an opportunity to strengthen trust, but companies will have to completely rethink their marketing strategies. Players accustomed to capitalizing on hype around specific coins will find themselves in a high-risk zone.