Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, plans to include ETH and USDT in crypto-backed loans.

According to CoinDesk, Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, plans to include Ethereum (ETH) and the Tether stablecoin (USDT) in its cryptocurrency collateral lending program, listed alongside Bitcoin (BTC) as acceptable collateral, once regulatory approval is granted. Deputy President Anatoly Popov stated that the bank will gradually expand its accepted asset scope after adapting to Russia’s new cryptocurrency regulations. Last August, the Central Bank of Russia had already placed BTC, ETH, and USDT on a draft list of digital currencies permitted for open trading at domestic exchanges. Sberbank had previously issued Russia’s first bitcoin collateral loan to mining firm Intelion Data last December. Notably, USDT carries additional sanctions risks; Tether can freeze tokens linked to sanctioned entities without a court order, while Sberbank has been subject to U.S. and EU sanctions since 2022. Russia’s new cryptocurrency law will officially take effect on September 1, and market participants must complete their licensing applications by July 2027.