Russia wants to bring crypto under its existing anti-money laundering system, making it easier for authorities to track transactions and investigate financial crimes.

The country is already expanding its crypto surveillance. During 2026, Russian investigators seized assets worth more than $486 million in corruption cases, with financial intelligence playing a major role.

New regulations also require crypto platforms to collect users' tax IDs and report detailed information about transfers exceeding 60,000 rubles. Meanwhile, the Bank of Russia has already flagged 2,600 suspicious crypto wallets linked to more than 1 billion rubles in transactions.

My take: Russia is clearly moving towards tighter control over crypto. While the country is opening its doors to regulated crypto trading, it's also making transactions increasingly traceable and harder to conduct anonymously.