Sberbank Prepares Commercial Launch of Corporate Crypto-Backed Lending

Sberbank, Russia's largest financial institution, announced on February 6, 2026, its readiness to transition its pilot program for corporate loans secured by digital assets into a full commercial offering. This strategic expansion aims to extend financing options beyond specialized cryptocurrency mining operations to any business entity holding digital assets on its balance sheet, signaling a significant institutional acceptance of tokenized collateral within the national financial system.

The bank's preparations align with the Russian government's deadline of July 1, 2026, to finalize comprehensive legislation governing the status and use of cryptocurrency assets. This move follows a competitive step by rival Sovcombank, which initiated its own publicly accessible crypto-backed lending service one day earlier, on February 5, 2026. Sberbank's technical readiness was validated through a successful late 2025 pilot loan with Intelion Data, a major bitcoin mining firm, where self-mined cryptocurrencies were used as collateral secured via Sberbank's internal custody system and specialized Rutoken hardware.

The accelerating integration of digital assets within Sberbank's ecosystem is reflected in internal metrics concerning Digital Financial Assets (DFA). According to a February 2 disclosure, the total DFA issuance volume on Sberbank's platform reached RUB 408 billion in 2025, marking a 5.6-fold increase from the RUB 73 billion issued in 2024. Furthermore, issuance volume in January 2026 alone totaled RUB 231 billion, exceeding half of the entire 2025 total in a single month. The bank's own DFA holdings also increased sevenfold over the six months preceding early 2026, rising from RUB 25 billion to RUB 185 billion.

Anatoly Popov, Sberbank’s Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, has stressed that a clear regulatory environment is essential for mass adoption, noting that the pilot's testing of digital collateral mechanisms could inform future regulatory development. This occurs while the Central Bank of Russia classifies cryptocurrencies as foreign exchange assets, permitting trading but prohibiting domestic payments. The broader framework, expected by July 2026, will reportedly establish rules for exchanges and may impose annual purchase limits for non-qualified retail investors. This domestic push for integrating digital assets into corporate lending occurs amid geopolitical conditions that have increased corporate demand for alternative financing mechanisms, making cryptocurrencies more integral to the national economy.

The maturation of the Russian DFA market, which saw issuance grow 204-fold from RUB 2 billion in 2023 to the 2025 total, demonstrates that tokenization has become a practical tool for capital management across various sectors. Sberbank’s planned commercial launch, contingent on the evolving legal structure, positions the institution as a key player in formalizing digital asset-backed credit within Russia's financial landscape.