Russia hints at recognizing crypto as property for equal splits among separating spouses

A draft law filed in the Russian parliament proposes to recognize cryptocurrency as jointly owned property, subject to division upon divorce.

The sponsors of the legislation seek to solve an outstanding issue that grows with the increasing number of Russians who choose to invest in crypto.

Russia to recognize crypto assets as family property

A bill filed in the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, recognizes cryptocurrency as joint property of spouses, Russian media reported.

The draft law was put forward by Igor Antropenko, a member of the Industry and Trade Committee representing the parliamentary faction of the ruling United Russia party.

According to the RIA Novosti news agency, which obtained a copy of the document, the legislation has been presented for review to the federal government.

In an accompanying letter to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, also quoted by the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, the lawmaker stated:

“I am submitting the draft federal law ‘On Amendments to the Family Code of the Russian Federation’ for the opinion of the Government.”

The text has been shared with the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) as well. The monetary authority is known for its consistently conservative stance on the legalization of decentralized digital assets like Bitcoin (BTC) under its current management, headed by Governor Elvira Nabiullina.

The proposal boils down to updating two articles, 34 and 36, of the Russian law which governs family relations, including marriage, divorce, parentage, and inheritance.

The new provisions stipulate that digital currency acquired by one spouse during marriage will be considered jointly owned property, the explanatory note further details.

However, it also envisages that any crypto assets acquired before the marriage or through gratuitous transactions during the marriage shall remain the property of the spouse who received them.

The author of the suggested changes highlights that with the country’s digital economy developing, more and more Russian citizens are considering cryptocurrency as a means of investment or saving.

This, Antropenko insists, requires regulating the legal status of this kind of holdings in the context of family relationships. Quoted by the business news agency Prime, he elaborated:

“The lack of legal regulation for such assets in family relations and divorce proceedings creates the risk of infringing on the property rights of one of the spouses.”

The deputy notes this is inconsistent with the provisions of Article 19 of the Russian Constitution, which enshrines equality before the law and the courts, as well as the equal rights of men and women.

New Russian law confirms cryptocurrency’s property status

Russian financial regulators, mainly the CBR, have been reluctant to grant legal recognition to cryptocurrencies outside a strictly controlled “experimental legal regime” (ELR), which allows a limited number of participants to use them in international settlements and invest in them.

However, the mood in Moscow has been changing this year and Russian officials indicated earlier this month they intend to comprehensively regulate crypto transactions in 2026, particularly those related to investments as coin payments are likely to remain banned outside the ELR.

In the rest of Russia’s jurisdiction, Bitcoin and the like have been recognized as property for the purposes of court proceedings, amid mounting cases involving rights over crypto assets as well as criminal cases requiring seizure by the state, as reported by Cryptopolitan.

According to recent estimates, around 20 million Russians have already bought cryptocurrency, and their digital holdings now exceed $40 billion.

U.S.-based crypto analytics company Chainalysis revealed in its latest European crypto adoption report, released in mid-October, that Russia is emerging as the Old Continent’s leading crypto market, having received over $376 billion worth of crypto between July 2024 and June 2025.

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