Sberbank Plans to Accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and Tether as Loan Collateral

Sberbank announced its intention to expand crypto‑backed lending by accepting Bitcoin, Ethereum and the Tether stablecoin as collateral, pending regulatory clearance.

Regulatory conditions

The bank’s plan is tied to two specific requirements: the full effect of Russia’s new crypto legislation and a decision by the Bank of Russia to allow the three assets for public circulation.

Demand from corporate clients

Deputy chairman Anatoly Popov said the bank is seeing interest from businesses, especially cryptocurrency miners, that hold significant digital‑asset balances and seek liquidity without selling their holdings.

Previous pilot experience

In December 2025, Sberbank completed a pilot loan to mining firm Intelion Data, using the company’s mined digital currency as security. The loan employed the bank’s own crypto storage solution and a Rutoken hardware device to protect the pledged assets.

Future outlook

Improved valuation methods for digital collateral could broaden access to crypto‑backed loans beyond miners to a wider corporate audience.