Advertising crypto services in Russia: a strange transition period begins
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 digital currencies themselves remains in place. Such is the paradox of the new regulation, which takes effect at a time when the infrastructure for legal operations is still being formed.
The Logic of the 2024 Ban
Until recently, the answer to the question of advertising cryptocurrencies and related services was extremely simple: it was prohibited. Federal Law No. 221-FZ of August 19, 2024, introduced a broad ban — on advertising digital currency itself, as well as goods, works, and services related to organizing its circulation. The ban also extended to offering digital currency to an unlimited circle of people.
In practice, this meant that one could not write "Buy USDT at a favorable rate," "Exchange Bitcoin in 15 minutes," or advertise a crypto exchange as a place for exchange. The wording turned out to be so broad that the effect extended far beyond the exchanges themselves. The example with mining is telling: the state effectively legalized this activity, created a separate regulated regime for miners, and at the same time, Yandex.Direct banned advertising of mining, crypto exchanges, blockchain, and smart contracts. An absurd situation arose: the state allowed mining, but the largest advertising platform banned its promotion.
What Changes in September
Now such a regime has emerged. Federal Law No. 282-FZ of 04.08.2026 "On Digital Currencies and Digital Rights" and Federal Law No. 283-FZ of 04.08.2026 were 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 laws were officially published on August 4, 2026.
From September 1, 2026, the ban on advertising digital currency itself remains in force. Advertising Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, or any other specific cryptocurrency is still prohibited. One cannot make BTC the "asset of the week," offer to "buy USDT today," promise growth of a specific coin, or push a person to choose one cryptocurrency over another.
However, advertising services for organizing the circulation of digital currencies is now permitted. Unlike in 2024, the state has created a regulated framework: the rules for organizing circulation are defined, and conditions are established for obtaining the statuses of legal crypto exchanges, digital depositories, and other participants. It would be strange to prohibit these participants from informing the market about their services. A separate permitted model for this is created by the new Article 29.2 of the Advertising Law.
Transition Period: Nuances and Risks
Here lies a curious point. The new advertising conditions begin to apply already on September 1, 2026, and extend only to cryptocurrency circulation participants from the Central Bank's register. At the same time, the full regime, under which only register participants are entitled to organize circulation, is activated only on July 1, 2027.
Exchanges 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 register, which the Central Bank itself has not yet opened. The market enters an unusual transition period: the new advertising rules already exist, but the new admission infrastructure is only being launched. As of August, the Bank of Russia published draft procedures for maintaining registers 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 view: this transition period is an inevitable price for the attempt to integrate the crypto market into the legal field. For exchanges that fail to enter the register in time, a window of uncertainty opens: formally, they can advertise their services, but without a clear status, this is risky. For the market as a whole, this is a signal that the state is moving toward civilized regulation, but with caution in mind.