Russia’s Largest Bank Explores Crypto Backed Ruble Loans

According to Crypto Rover, the largest bank of Russia, Sberbank, now thinks of issuing loans in rubles with cryptocurrencies. The development is confirmed by Russian state news agency TASS, which is a major step in the direction of crypto integration in the traditional banking system. The migration puts such assets as Bitcoin and Ethereum into lending systems.

Softening of Regulatory Provides the Push

The changing Russian attitude to digital assets motivates this discovery. The nation made progress in domestic crypto trading and settlement systems in 2025, which was mainly due to sanctions and limited access to international financial systems. Sberbank has an already active role in this change. Over the past years, the bank has released over 160 digital financial assets amounting to about 1.5 billion rubles.

The act of taking crypto as collateral by Sberbank legitimizes crypto as a balance sheet instrument. This would open up new liquidity sources to the businesses and high net worth borrowing and would hasten institutional uptake within Russia. The collateral status is normally reserved by banks on assets of perceived value. The shift of Sberbank puts crypto nearer to that category.

The most important risk is Volatility

The price volatility was soon reported by the market participants as the biggest challenge. The price of cryptos is volatile and may pose a challenge in loan-to-value ratios and liquidation levels in times of market pressure. Sberbank would require strong price models, margin buffers and real time risk controls to eliminate this risk. By accepting crypto as collateral, Sberbank legitimizes digital assets as balance-sheet instruments. This approach could unlock new liquidity channels for businesses and high-net-worth borrowers while accelerating institutional adoption inside Russia.