Advertising of crypto services in Russia from September: new bans and strict requirements
Starting September 1, 2026, Russian crypto exchanges and digital deposit services will gain the right to advertise, but with unprecedented restrictions. The legislator introduces a mandatory set of warnings and effectively prohibits any wording that could be perceived as a promise of profit or a guarantee of safety. In this column, I will break down exactly what can and cannot be written in advertising materials, and how these changes will affect the marketing strategies of market participants.
The new law requires that every advertisement contain four mandatory elements: the full name of the organizer of digital currency circulation, the source of information that it is obliged to disclose by law, a warning about the high risk and the possibility of total loss of funds, as well as an indication of the restrictions established by legislation for cryptocurrency transactions. This is not just a formality, but a rigid framework into which any communication with the client must now be built.
What is allowed and what is prohibited
As soon as an exchange is added to the Central Bank's registry, its advertising logic becomes extremely transparent. For example, you can write: "Exchange X. Digital currency exchange services. Service fee — 0.5%" and add the mandatory information. It is allowed to advertise the speed of order processing, the service procedure, the service commission, the office, the app, or the transaction execution technology. These are all facts about the service, not about the asset.
However, phrases like "USDT at the best rate — exchange in two minutes" or promotions like "BTC without a commission until the end of the week" cannot be used. Formally, the exchange is being advertised, but in fact, the object of the advertisement becomes a specific digital currency. This is exactly what the new Article 29.2 of the law directly prohibits. The same applies to digital depositories: you can advertise "digital accounting, transfer of digital currencies, and provision of access to identifier addresses" or simply "digital depository services," but with mandatory disclosures. You can talk about the service's technology, accounting procedures, interface, and the depository service itself.
But wording like "Store Bitcoin with us without risk" or "Best custody for BTC and USDT. Guaranteed safety" is strictly prohibited. In the first case, a specific asset is advertised and a false impression of the absence of risk is created. In the second, specific assets become part of the offer, and the guarantee of safety directly conflicts with the mandatory risk warning.
Placement channels: from website to SMS
Distribution channels can be almost any, but the requirements are adapted to each format. On the exchange's own website, a neutral description of services, tariffs, operating procedures, and available functions 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, it is safer to immediately consider the material advertising and apply all the requirements of Article 29.2 to it. This approach aligns with the distinction between informational and advertising content that the FAS adheres to.
In the personal account and mobile app, the logic is the same. A user can see their balance, transaction history, available assets, price, and a specific ticker — this is functional information. But 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 can also be used, but only with the recipient's prior consent, and the advertiser is obliged to prove its existence. For SMS, this model becomes especially inconvenient: a short message must fit not only the offer but also all mandatory disclosures. If there is no consent, the fine for a legal entity for violating advertising requirements in telecommunications networks ranges from 300 thousand to 1 million rubles, and the FAS actively initiates such cases in 2026.
External internet advertising — banners, integrations, paid placements — is also possible, but requirements for erid (a unique identifier for online labeling) are added to the cryptocurrency restrictions, and fines for legal entities for violations in this area reach up to 500 thousand rubles. Outdoor and indoor advertising is not prohibited in itself: you can place the exchange's brand and a message about digital currency exchange services, but with the mandatory information. A huge Bitcoin sign in the middle of the screen and a small footnote "exchange services" will not save the situation — the object of the advertisement will still be recognized as a specific digital currency.
My view: These rules are not just a bureaucratic burden, but a clear signal to the market. The regulator is finally separating infrastructure advertising from asset advertising. For honest players, this is a chance to build long-term trust through transparency, and for those accustomed to playing on promises of quick profit, it is a serious barrier. In the long term, this approach could improve the market by weeding out unscrupulous marketers and protecting retail investors from the most aggressive manipulations.