The Russian banking giant introduces financial instruments linked to Bitcoin for qualified investors.
Russia’s largest commercial banking institution, Sber, has made its entry into the Bitcoin space by unveiling a bond product tied to the asset.
Sber has officially launched its structured financial instrument that mirrors the price performance of Bitcoin alongside fluctuations in the dollar-ruble exchange rate. The product is already available to qualified investors through the over-the-counter (OTC) market, with plans to list it on the Moscow Exchange in the near future.
Formerly known as Sberbank, the institution stated in a May 30 announcement that the listing would provide transparency, liquidity, and convenience for a wide range of professional investors. This structured approach will allow investors to benefit both from Bitcoin’s appreciation in dollars and from the strengthening of the US dollar against the Russian ruble, the bank suggests.
The lender also announced plans to expand its crypto offering through the SberInvestments platform, introducing exchange-traded products that provide exposure to digital assets. The first product will be a Bitcoin futures instrument, scheduled for listing on June 4, coinciding with its official launch by the Moscow Exchange.
Sber’s initiative follows the authorization granted by Russia’s Central Bank on May 28, which permitted financial institutions to offer specific crypto-related financial instruments to accredited investors. However, the direct offering of cryptocurrencies remains prohibited.
Meanwhile, T-Bank (formerly Tinkoff Bank) launched an investment product linked to Bitcoin’s price, branding it a “smart asset” issued through Russia’s state-backed tokenization platform Atomyze.
According to the Russian Central Bank’s report for the first quarter of 2025, Russian residents hold approximately 827 billion rubles ($9.2 billion) in cryptocurrencies on centralized exchanges. Inflows into Russian crypto platforms surged by 51%, reaching 7.3 trillion rubles ($81.5 billion) over the same period.
