TechFlow News, February 19: According to FinanceFeeds, Russia plans to begin blocking foreign cryptocurrency exchange websites in the summer of 2026, aiming to redirect cryptocurrency activities to locally licensed platforms, curb capital outflows, and strengthen regulatory oversight. This move stems from new legislation expected to advance in spring and involves technical filtering by Roskomnadzor. Russian participants conduct approximately 50 billion rubles in daily cryptocurrency trading volume, most of which occurs overseas.
Sergey Shvetsov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Moscow Exchange, stated that Russian traders pay around $15 billion annually in commissions to global exchanges, and domestic platforms aim to capture this market. Experts note that fully blocking offshore platforms would be challenging and could drive activity toward opaque channels.
