Advertising of crypto services in Russia: new strict rules from September 2026
Starting September 1, 2026, Russian crypto exchanges and digital deposit services will finally receive the long-awaited right to advertise, but along with it, unprecedentedly strict restrictions come into force. This is not just about formalities — legislators are introducing a mandatory minimum of disclosures and an actual ban on promoting specific digital assets. Let's figure out exactly what will change and how businesses can adapt to the new realities.
Four mandatory elements of advertising
The new law requires that every advertising material contain four key blocks: the full name of the organization providing the services; a link to the source of information that it is required to disclose by law; a warning about high risks with an emphasis on the possibility of complete loss of funds; as well as an indication of the restrictions on transactions with digital currencies established by legislation.
The wording must be precise down to the comma. For example, an exchanger included in the Central Bank registry may write: "Exchanger X. Digital currency exchange services. Fee — 0.5%" — and add the mandatory information. It is allowed to mention the speed of processing requests, the service procedure, the service commission, the office, or the technology for executing the transaction.
What is prohibited
But phrases like "USDT at the best rate — exchange in two minutes" or promotions like "BTC without commission until the end of the week" are taboo. Formally, the exchanger is being advertised, but in fact, the object of promotion becomes a specific digital currency, which is directly prohibited by the new Article 29.2 of the law. The same situation applies to depositories: you cannot promise "risk-free Bitcoin storage" or "the best custody for BTC and USDT with a guarantee of safety" — this creates a false impression of the absence of risks and advertises specific assets.
The key principle is simple: we advertise the infrastructure and service, but we do not sell a specific asset to a person and do not create an investment promise. It is prohibited to guarantee future returns, even based on historical data, and to forecast exchange rate changes.
Placement channels: from website to SMS
Channels can be almost any, but the requirements differ. On your own website, a neutral description of services may be considered reference information rather than advertising. However, the appearance of a banner, pop-up, or bright call to action automatically transfers the material to the category of advertising with all the ensuing requirements.
In the personal account and mobile application, functional information — balance, transaction history, ticker — is not advertising. But push notifications like "BTC grew by 12% — buy now" or a carousel of "top coins of the week" are already prohibited. Email and SMS mailings are allowed only with the prior consent of the recipient, and the advertising distributor is obliged to prove its existence. This is especially inconvenient for SMS: in a short message, you need to fit both the offer and all mandatory disclosures.
Violators face serious fines: for legal entities for spam mailings — from 300 thousand to 1 million rubles, for violating requirements for internet advertising — up to 500 thousand rubles. The FAS is already actively initiating such cases in 2026.
My comment: The new rules are not just a tightening, but a fundamental shift in marketing philosophy. The crypto business will have to move from selling "digital gold" to promoting the technological platform. This will reduce marketing appeal, but increase trust from the regulator and, in the long term, institutional investors. The market faces a period of painful adaptation, and those who restructure first will gain a competitive advantage.