Sberbank Plans to Accept Ether and USDT for Crypto-Backed Loans
Russia's largest lender aims to broaden crypto-secured lending beyond Bitcoin as the country prepares to launch a regulated crypto market in September 2026.
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AfroEuropa desk
Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, intends to widen its crypto-backed lending to include Ethereum's Ether and Tether's USDT stablecoin alongside Bitcoin, according to comments by senior executive Anatoly Popov reported by BitKE. The bank plans to accept the additional assets as loan collateral once the central bank permits them for public circulation.
The plans coincide with Russia's move to open a regulated crypto market on September 1 2026, established under legislation signed by President Vladimir Putin in August 2026. The Bank of Russia is tasked with deciding which cryptocurrencies may be traded on regulated platforms, and has identified Bitcoin, Ether and USDT as candidates, pointing to their market capitalization, trading volumes and long trading records abroad. CoinDesk reported that the central bank recently added ETH and USDT to a draft list of cryptocurrencies cleared for public trading on Russian exchanges.
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