Russian Parliamentary Chief: Cryptocurrencies Will Never Be Legal Tender
On Dec. 16, 2025, the head of a major Russian parliamentary committee stated that cryptocurrencies will never be recognized as legal tender in Russia. The blunt declaration reinforces the government's long-standing caution toward private digital assets and marks a clear rejection of any move to put crypto on equal footing with the national currency.
This stance matters because legal-tender status would have opened the door to wider merchant acceptance and formal integration into the Russian financial system. By closing that option, regulators signal continued preference for centralized monetary control — including development of a digital ruble — and maintain tighter limits on exchanges, payments and corporate use of crypto, with implications for traders, domestic crypto businesses and international firms operating in Russia.