The Bank of Russia recorded an impressive increase in the volume of cryptocurrency trading in the period from October 2024 to March 2025.
On May 28, the agency published a report called «Financial Stability Review», which indicated that from the fourth quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2025, Russians replenished the balance of crypto exchanges and withdrew digital assets worth ₽7,3 trillion from trading platform accounts, which is 51,1% more than the figure recorded in the two previous trimesters. This fact clearly indicates an increase in the interest of Russian residents in digital assets, and the Central Bank explains this phenomenon by the liberalization of legislation on virtual currencies in the United States.
However, it is obvious to all members of the crypto community that the main factor contributing to the increase in demand for digital assets is not the change in the course of American policy, but the high investment potential of tokens and coins. The Bank of Russia employees themselves admitted in a recent report that Bitcoin surpasses all other assets presented on the Russian market in terms of profitability. BTC has risen in price by 58% over the past year, while its main competitor, gold, has increased in price by only 39%.
Return on investment in various assets as of April 2025, according to the Bank of Russia
The Central Bank also reported that as of the end of March this year, Russian residents were storing bitcoins, ethereums and stablecoins on crypto exchanges. Tether (USDT) worth ₽827 billion. The money invested in the coins was distributed as follows:
- 62,1% was accounted for by BTC;
- 22% – on ETH;
- 15,9% – on USDT.
Bank of Russia experts predicted a continued increase in the volume of digital asset trading both in the Russian Federation and in other countries. The positive forecast is based on the upcoming increase in transparency and security of the crypto industry due to the adoption of decrees regulating the circulation of tokens and coins in the United States. In particular, we are talking about two bills dedicated to stablecoins.
