Russia plans to restrict retail investors from buying foreign stablecoins, allowing only qualified investors to purchase them.

According to Bits.media, Russia's government has added new restrictions to its crypto regulatory bill, proposing to ban non-professional investors from purchasing foreign stablecoins. The bill introduces the concepts of "foreign digital instruments" and "non-delivery foreign digital instruments," categorizing stablecoins backed by collateral as the latter. Qualified investors will be allowed to purchase foreign digital instruments, while unqualified investors can only buy specific assets listed by the Russian Central Bank. At the end of June, the Russian Central Bank proposed a draft framework for stablecoin regulation, requiring transactions to be completed via exchanges or legal exchange points. Russian Central Bank Governor Nabiullina stated a cautious stance toward foreign stablecoins, as issuers can freeze user assets.