Advertising crypto services in Russia: a strange transitional period and new rules of the game
Starting September 1, 2026, advertising of services for organizing cryptocurrency circulation will be permitted in Russia for the first time in two years. However, a direct ban on advertising the digital currencies themselves remains in place. This creates a unique and, at first glance, paradoxical situation in the market. Let's examine the new regulatory logic that comes into effect.
The logic of the 2024 ban
Until recently, the answer to the question about advertising cryptocurrencies and related services was extremely simple: it was prohibited. Since August 19, 2024, Federal Law No. 221-FZ introduced a broad ban. The restriction covered not only advertising of the digital currency itself but also goods, works, and services related to organizing its circulation. In effect, it was forbidden to offer digital currency and related services 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 quickly extended far beyond the exchangers themselves. The example of mining is telling: in August 2024, the state effectively legalized this activity, establishing requirements for miners and creating a separate regulated regime for them. However, Yandex.Direct at the same time updated its rules and banned advertising of mining, crypto exchangers, blockchain, smart contracts, ICOs, and a number of other services. An absurd situation arose: the state allowed mining, while the largest advertising platform almost simultaneously banned its promotion.
What changes in September
Now this regime has arrived. Federal Law No. 282-FZ dated 04.08.2026 "On Digital Currencies and Digital Rights" and Federal Law No. 283-FZ dated 04.08.2026 were adopted. The first creates the regulated framework for organizing cryptocurrency circulation and defines its legal participants. The second restructures a large number of related laws, including the Advertising Law. Both documents were officially published on August 4, 2026.
Starting September 1, 2026, the ban on advertising the digital currency itself remains in force. Advertising Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, or any other specific digital currency is still prohibited. One cannot make BTC the "asset of the week," offer to "buy USDT today," or promise growth of a specific coin. 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 exchangers, digital depositories, and other participants. Banning these participants from informing the market about their services would, in my opinion, look strange. A separate permitted model for this is created by the new Article 29.2 of the Advertising Law.
Transition period and desynchronization
This is where the most interesting part begins. The new advertising conditions take effect already on September 1, 2026, but apply 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, activates only on July 1, 2027. Exchangers 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.
Thus, the market enters an unusual transition period. The new advertising rules already exist, but the new licensing infrastructure is only being launched. The Bank of Russia has 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 desynchronization is evident here.
My view: This situation creates a window of uncertainty for marketers and lawyers. On the one hand, advertising of services is formally permitted; on the other, most market players will not be able to use it until the register appears. I recommend that companies prepare their advertising campaigns now in line with the new requirements, but not launch them until the official opening of the Central Bank's register to avoid risks. This is a classic case where haste can lead to administrative sanctions.