Russian financial services giant Sberbank is weighing plans to offer crypto-backed loans, marking a potential step into the digital asset space for one of the country’s largest banks.

 Anatoly Popov, Deputy Chairman of Sberbank’s Management Board, confirmed that the bank is currently evaluating various options for providing loans where cryptocurrency would be used as collateral. 

The move comes as traditional financial institutions around the world increasingly explore ways to integrate digital assets into their service offerings.

The announcement builds on Sberbank’s broader digital asset strategy, which has already produced over 160 tokenized issues this year, spanning real estate, oil, and commodity-linked products.

“I hope we will be able to announce such deals soon,” Popov expressed optimism, though the timing depends on the regulatory framework, currently in its infancy.

The exchanges’ December announcements followed the Bank of Russia’s release of a regulatory concept outlining comprehensive timelines and enforcement mechanisms for crypto legislation.