Sberbank and Rostelecom have signed an agreement to jointly develop Web3Gate — an infrastructure platform designed to support operations with cryptocurrencies and tokenised assets. The platform will provide access to major public blockchain networks, including Ethereum and Bitcoin.

According to Sberbank's official statement, the partnership aims to integrate digital currencies and tokenised assets into the bank's broader ecosystem while enabling new product offerings for both retail and corporate clients. Key areas of development include a secure bridge between Sberbank's proprietary blockchain platform and the Ethereum network, crypto exchange and custody services, real-asset tokenisation, and crypto-collateralised lending.

Sberbank Managing Director Andrei Dmitriev said the joint pilot with Rostelecom would help build straightforward, client-facing services. Rostelecom Vice President for Information Systems Development Vitaly Trepykhalin added that the pilot will allow Web3Gate to be tested under real-world conditions and its commercial potential properly assessed.

The launch is timed to coincide with a major regulatory shift: Russia's cryptocurrency market regulation is set to come into force on July 1. The relevant bill has already passed its first reading in the State Duma, and major players in the Russian financial market are actively positioning themselves ahead of the new legal framework.

Sberbank's preparations have been methodical. The bank already offers clients structured bonds and digital financial assets linked to Bitcoin, Ether, and crypto baskets. Testing of DeFi instruments has been underway for some time — as Deputy Chairman Anatoly Popov noted in a December interview with RBC-Crypto. The bank completed its first crypto-backed loan in late 2025, extending credit to miner Intelion with mined cryptocurrency as collateral, using Sberbank's proprietary Rutoken hardware custody solution.