What happened?
Russian lawmaker Igor Antropenko introduced a draft law to classify cryptocurrency as marital property that can be divided in divorce. The bill would amend Articles 34 and 36 of the Family Code so crypto acquired during marriage is joint property while assets acquired before marriage or received as gifts stay individual. The proposal has been sent to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Central Bank Chair Elvira Nabiullina for review.
Who does this affect?
This directly affects married couples and anyone holding crypto in Russia, because coins bought or earned during marriage could be split in divorce proceedings. It also impacts family lawyers, courts, forensic accountants and exchanges that will need to trace, value and possibly freeze or disclose on-chain assets. Broader market players — institutional investors, DeFi users and policymakers — will watch closely given Russia’s huge crypto activity and $376.3 billion in transfers over the past year.
Why does this matter?
Legal clarity on crypto as marital property could push more assets into regulated channels, boost demand for custody, compliance and forensic services, and make on-chain transparency a bigger part of legal disputes. That could increase market legitimacy and tax revenues, while also prompting some holders to liquidate or restructure holdings to avoid division, which could add short-term selling pressure or volatility. With booming adoption, growing DeFi activity and ruble-pegged stablecoins like A7A5 gaining traction, the change would have real implications for liquidity, exchange flows and how crypto is priced and managed in Russia.