Major banks and management companies in the traditional financial sector are one after another beginning to offer clients access to cryptocurrency transactions.

International financial corporations, banks, and payment systems—the largest players in traditional financial markets—are one after another beginning to offer clients cryptocurrency-related services. In the US, this trend has been accelerating in recent years. In Russia, crypto investment instruments already exist, but with the imminent introduction of legislation, financial giants are expected to offer not only derivatives but also access to cryptocurrency trading.

Investments and Tokenized Deposits

Last weekend, Charles Schwab, which manages $12.2 trillion in assets, confirmed its plans to launch spot trading in Bitcoin and Ethereum in the first half of 2026. The bank has already opened a waiting list for clients wishing to open an account with its new crypto service, Schwab Crypto.

In early April, Franklin Templeton, an investment fund with $1.74 trillion under management, launched a dedicated cryptocurrency division, Franklin Crypto. The company already manages cryptocurrency spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs), but now intends to expand beyond ETFs and serve institutional demand for active crypto investment strategies.

In March, Morgan Stanley filed to create a Bitcoin ETF under the ticker symbol MSBT. If approved, it will be the first such ETF issued directly by a major US bank. Morgan Stanley immediately set the MSBT fee at 0.14% per annum, the lowest of all existing funds. Currently, Grayscale's fund has the cheapest fee at 0.15% per annum, while BlackRock's IBIT, the market leader, charges 0.25%.

JPMorgan Chase, which has been operating in the blockchain space for several years through its Kinexys division, began offering JPM Coin, a tokenized dollar deposit, to institutional clients in November 2025. The tokens retain deposit yields and allow for 24/7 fund transfers via the public Base blockchain from the Coinbase crypto exchange. The bank has already registered the JPME ticker symbol for the potential launch of a euro-denominated deposit token.

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Payment Services and Stablecoins

Large banks such as Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas are participating in the Canton Network blockchain. This network was designed specifically for regulated transactions. Visa joined the project in late March, becoming a network validator and pledging to "work with organizations to integrate Canton into their operational processes, complementing their existing payment, settlement, and treasury strategies."

Payment giants have also begun offering customers stablecoin payments for everyday card payments. Visa has already launched such a project in 2025, targeting countries in Central and South America. Now, the company plans to expand it to 100 countries.

Meanwhile, Mastercard acquired the stablecoin startup BVNK. Market analysts now believe that by converting tokens into traditional currencies, the payment company can position itself as a bridge between the fiat and cryptocurrency worlds.

The First Players in the Russian Crypto Market

Currently, a number of cryptocurrency-related products already exist in Russia. In May 2025, the Bank of Russia authorized financial institutions to offer investors derivative financial instruments, securities, and digital financial assets (DFAs) whose yields are tied to the price of cryptocurrency. The regulator then specified a key condition: that such instruments should not involve the actual delivery of cryptocurrency.

Following this, Sberbank launched structured bonds whose yields are directly linked to the price of Bitcoin, and trading in futures on BlackRock's ETF began on the Moscow Exchange. Such instruments were previously available only to qualified investors.

However, this year, unqualified participants may also be allowed to participate, including in trading. Cryptocurrency market regulation is planned for the summer, allowing such investors to conduct digital asset transactions through licensed intermediaries after testing and within established limits.