The largest bank in Russia, Sberbank, is preparing to expand the scope of encrypted mortgages, and plans to further accept Taifung and USDT as collateral for loans outside of Bitcoin. However, this arrangement is still dependent on the approval of the Russian Central Bank for the open circulation of the relevant assets.
Proposed new ETH and USDT
Anatoly Popov, Deputy Chairman of Sberbank, stated that the bank planned to take Bitcoin, the Tailet and the Stabilization Currency Tether (USDT) as collateral for the loan. At this stage, however, clients are not in a position to use all three types of assets immediately.
According to him, Sberbank would adjust existing products to the new Russian code of the encryption market before gradually expanding the range of assets available for secured loans. Of these, bitcoin is the basis for the current programme, and ETH and USDT will have to wait for regulatory release before joining.
Bitcoin pilot is on the ground.
Sberbank is not the first to try such a business. In December 2025, the Bank had tested an encrypted mortgage model with the Russian mining company Intelion Data.
This pilot loan is intended for business clients and the collateral is the encrypted currency obtained from Intelion. During the life of the loan, Sberbank holds the collateral through its own hosting infrastructure. This means that the Bank has completed the initial validation of the combination of traditional loans and secured encoded assets.
Sberbank plans to extend this model from bitcoin to the Easter and USDT if the follow-up regulatory permit is extended.
Russian new regulations entered into force on 1 September
As Sberbank moves forward, Russia's new regulated encrypted market framework will be officially implemented on 1 September 2026. Under the arrangement, the Russian Central Bank will decide which encrypted currencies can be traded through regulated channels.
At present, the central bank of Russia has proposed the inclusion of bitcoin, ETA and USDT in the scope of transactions on regulated exchanges, with reference factors such as market size, trade activity and its history in overseas markets.
For non-qualified investors, the new framework places limitations: investors are required to pass the relevant knowledge tests, with an annual purchase cap of 300,000 roubles per intermediary. At the same time, the use of encrypted currency for the payment of goods and services remains prohibited in Russia.
Overall, Sberbank’s expansion programme is already in its infancy, but ETH and USDT’s real access to mortgage products depends on the final approval of the Russian Central Bank.