Russia proposes adding crypto assets to anti-money laundering system

Russia’s Investigative Committee has proposed integrating cryptocurrency assets into the country’s anti-money laundering infrastructure to help authorities trace digital transactions and investigate financial crimes.

According to a Nov. 6 TASS report, the proposal was presented during the 20th session of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Asset Recovery in Vienna, where Anna Starzhinskaya, a department head at the Russian Investigative Committee’s Main Investigative Directorate, represented the agency.

The working group operates under the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption and focuses on international cooperation in identifying, recovering, and returning assets linked to criminal activity.

During the meeting, the committee explained that Russian investigators already have access to specialized resources maintained by Rosfinmonitoring, the country’s financial intelligence agency, which help them examine cryptocurrency transactions and gather evidence in criminal investigations.

“Investigative authorities’ access to Rosfinmonitoring’s specialized resources makes it possible to track cryptocurrency transactions and obtain significant information to prove criminal activity,” the committee said in a statement translated from Russian.

The agency subsequently proposed formally incorporating crypto assets into the anti-money laundering infrastructure, although the announcement did not set out a specific implementation timetable.

Russian investigators report $486 million in seized assets

Alongside the cryptocurrency proposal, Starzhinskaya presented figures on Russia’s efforts to recover assets linked to corruption cases.

According to the Investigative Committee, Russian investigators working with operational services, financial intelligence units, and regulatory authorities identified and seized property belonging to individuals involved in corruption cases worth more than $486 million during 2026.

The committee attributed part of those results to its cooperation with Rosfinmonitoring, which provides financial intelligence that investigators can use to identify property subject to seizure.

Investigators submitted approximately 2,500 requests to the agency in connection with criminal cases during the year. Information obtained through those requests helped establish the location of assets that could subsequently be frozen or confiscated through legal proceedings.

Starzhinskaya addressed international cooperation during the Vienna meeting, particularly the need for countries to exchange information and provide mutual legal assistance in criminal investigations involving assets across national borders.

Over the past four years, the Investigative Committee has arranged the execution of more than 6,000 requests for legal assistance covering different categories of criminal cases.

She called for international cooperation mechanisms to operate outside political considerations, with participating countries fulfilling their legal obligations on the basis of equality, mutual respect, and reciprocity.

Russia expands cryptocurrency monitoring under new regulations

The proposal follows several regulatory changes introduced this year as Russia establishes a supervised market for cryptocurrency trading and custody.

As crypto.news previously reported, Russia’s comprehensive cryptocurrency framework took effect on Sept. 1, allowing regulated trading, custody services, and certain cross-border settlements under Bank of Russia supervision.

The legislation introduced separate requirements for qualified and nonqualified investors, with retail participants subject to annual purchase limits and mandatory assessments before accessing eligible cryptocurrencies.

In October, the central bank registered its first cryptocurrency operators, including four exchange operators and five digital custodians.

Sberbank and VTB were among the financial institutions admitted to the regulated system, with registered companies required to follow transaction recording and accounting rules.

Financial monitoring requirements have developed alongside those market regulations.

In September, Rosfinmonitoring introduced mandatory taxpayer identification requirements for customers opening accounts with digital depositories.

The rules require customers to provide their individual taxpayer identification number, known as an INN, allowing authorities to connect cryptocurrency transactions with identifiable account holders.

For cryptocurrency transfers exceeding 60,000 rubles, covered institutions must collect and transmit detailed information about the payer and recipient, including relevant account identifiers and personal details.

Russia’s anti-money laundering legislation prohibits digital depositories from opening accounts for anonymous customers or individuals using fictitious identities.

Bank of Russia has flagged thousands of suspicious crypto wallets

Russian financial regulators have already taken action against cryptocurrency addresses associated with suspected illegal activity.

In August, the Bank of Russia blacklisted 2,600 cryptocurrency wallets after identifying more than 1 billion rubles in transactions flowing into the addresses during the first half of 2026.

The wallets were added to a monitoring system accessible to banks and law enforcement agencies for financial investigations and customer risk assessments.

The central bank identified 929 entities showing signs of financial pyramid activity and another 379 suspected of illegally attracting investments during the same period.

According to the regulator, cryptocurrencies were used to attract funds in more than 74% of the financial pyramid schemes it identified.