Regulator profile · RU
CBR — Central Bank of the Russian Federation
Tracked byBrokerlist Editorial · Independent review teamUpdated
The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia / CBR) has been the single financial mega-regulator since September 2013, taking over from the Federal Service for Financial Markets. Retail forex providers must hold a Forex Dealer licence under Article 4.1 of Federal Law 39-FZ "On the Securities Market" (added 2014, in force from 2016).
Brokers in Russia accepting residents under CBR- Jurisdiction
- Russian Federation.
- Founded
- 1990
- Mandate
- Established by the Law of the RSFSR "On the Central Bank of the RSFSR (Bank of Russia)" on 13 July 1990. Acts as central bank, banking supervisor, and (since 2013 Law 251-FZ) integrated financial regulator covering insurance, pension funds, investment firms, and forex dealers. Mega-regulator structure covers conduct, licensing, and macro-prudential supervision.
- Consumer protection
- Bank deposits covered by DIA (Deposit Insurance Agency) up to RUB 1.4 million per depositor per bank. No specific retail-FX deposit-insurance scheme; client-fund segregation required for licensed forex dealers under the Forex Dealer regime. Negative balance protection has been mandatory for licensed retail forex dealers since 2016.
- Retail leverage caps
- Standard retail leverage capped at 1:50 for licensed forex dealers; "qualified investors" (assets > RUB 6 million or relevant qualifications) can access up to 1:1000. Forex Dealer licence requires RUB 100 million paid-up capital plus mandatory contribution to a SRO compensation fund (RUB 2 million minimum).
- Public register
- CBR publishes lists of licensed financial-market participants by category — credit organisations, NPF (non-state pension funds), forex dealers, etc. Cross-reference NAUFOR (National Association of Securities Market Participants, the SRO) member directory for FX-broker verification. Open register ↗
- Dispute resolution
- The Financial Ombudsman (Финансовый уполномоченный) was established by Federal Law 123-FZ in 2018. Awards are binding on licensed financial firms up to RUB 500,000 for consumer financial-services disputes. Higher-value disputes go to courts.
- Editor notes
- Following the 2016 licensing framework, several international brokers exited the Russian retail market — FXOpen, IQ Option and others now operate via offshore entities for RU residents. The CBR-licensed forex dealer count is small (about 4-5 active firms). Most Russian retail FX traders use offshore brokers under legally grey arrangements; sanctions since 2022 have further complicated cross-border banking-channel funding, pushing flows to USDT/crypto rails.
Brokers we track with a CBR licence
No brokersNo tracked broker currently holds a CBR licence in our database.