Frequently Asked Questions

6 important rules for currency exchange under sanctions:

1. Compare rates — use our website to find best rate, difference between banks can reach 3-5 rubles
2. Avoid airports — rate there is 5-8% worse than in city
3. Exchange at major banks — Sberbank, VTB, Alfa-Bank, Tinkoff give reliable rates
4. Check limits — many banks limited currency purchase to $3000-5000 per month
5. Consider fees — when exchanging via card there may be hidden fee of 1-2%
6. Follow news — rate can change sharply due to sanctions or political events

Important: Since 2022 buying currency in Russia became more difficult. Not all banks sell dollars and euros to individuals.

Yes, but with significant restrictions:

Where you can buy:

• Sberbank — limit of $3000-5000 per month per customer
• VTB — similar, not all branches sell currency
• Alfa-Bank — through app, limits individual
• Tinkoff — online exchange available when currency available

What changed:

• Can't buy more than $10,000 per month at most banks
• Many banks completely stopped selling dollars/euros to individuals
• Sale rate is 8-12% higher than official CBR RF rate

Alternatives:

• Buy yuan — easier and cheaper
• P2P exchange through Telegram/forums (risky!)
• Cryptocurrency (USDT) — some use as dollar substitute

In Russia this is less predictable than in other CIS states:

New Year — usually currency demand grows in December, rate worsens by 2-3 rubles.

May holidays — no clear trend, depends on geopolitics.

More important than holidays:

• Sanctions — rate changes sharply with new sanction packages
• War news — any escalations cause rate spike
• CBR RF rate decisions — rate increase usually strengthens ruble for few days

Tip: In Russia better to watch news, not holidays. Keep part of savings in currency in case of sharp rate spike.

This is alternative, but with high risks:

Advantages of cryptocurrency (USDT, USDC):

• Doesn't depend on banking restrictions
• Can be bought/sold 24/7 through P2P
• Rate pegged to dollar (for stablecoins)
• No currency control

Disadvantages:

• Volatility (even USDT can fluctuate by 1-2%)
• Fraud risk on P2P platforms
• Legal uncertainty in Russia
• Transfer fees (network, exchange)

Suitable for: Those who understand risks and want to bypass bank limits.

Not suitable for: Conservative investors and elderly people.

Tip: If using crypto — only stablecoins (USDT, USDC) and only on verified exchanges (Binance P2P, ByBit).

Ruble rate in 2022-2025 depends on many factors:

• Sanctions — restrictions on oil, gas trade, frozen CBR assets of $300 billion
• Oil prices — with Brent above $70-80 ruble strengthens, below $60 — weakens
• CBR RF decisions — key rate 16-18% affects rate
• Export/import — import decline strengthened ruble in 2022-2023
• Geopolitics — any news about war, new sanctions cause volatility
• Capital outflow — companies and citizens withdraw money from Russia

Forecast: CBR RF expects rate of 90-100 rubles per dollar in 2025, but actual range may be 80-110.

This is a complex question under sanctions and high volatility:

Rubles — deposits with 15-18% interest per year. With inflation 7-8% real return 7-10%. But there is devaluation risk.

US dollars — problem: many banks don't open dollar accounts, sale rate is very high. If you have dollars — keep them in reliable bank.

Euro — similar to dollars: access limited, rate high.

Yuan (CNY) — new trend! Many banks offer yuan deposits at 4-6%. Yuan rate more stable than dollar/euro to ruble.

Gold — you can buy coins at Sberbank or invest through OMS (unallocated metal account).

Expert advice: Diversification — 40% rubles (deposit), 30% yuan, 20% gold, 10% dollars/euros (if access available).

This is a reference rate set by the Central Bank of Russia every business day based on trading on Moscow Exchange.

Important: Commercial banks are NOT obligated to exchange at CBR rate. They add their margin.

Official CBR RF rate: cbr.ru (http://cbr.ru)

Typical picture in 2025:

• CBR rate: 95 rubles per $1
• Sberbank purchase rate: 90 rubles
• Sberbank sale rate: 100 rubles
• Spread: 10 rubles (10.5%)

Since 2022 spreads have increased due to sanctions and limited foreign exchange market.

We update rates every 15-30 minutes during Moscow Exchange working hours (from 10:00 to 19:00 MSK).

Data sources:

• Moscow Exchange (MOEX) — official trading rate
• Bank APIs (Tinkoff, Alfa-Bank, Sberbank)
• Official CBR RF rate

Feature: Rate can change sharply within the day (by 2-5 rubles) due to news. Check relevance before exchange!

On weekends updates are less frequent, data from last Friday trading.

Several reasons:

• Different time — exchange rate changes every minute, banks update less frequently
• Bank spread — banks add 3-10% margin to exchange rate
• Currency availability — if bank doesn't sell currency, it shows "technical" rate
• Region — rate in Moscow better than in regions (difference up to 2-5 rubles)

If difference is very large (more than 10 rubles) — possibly bank temporarily doesn't sell currency or error on website.

Yes! The website is fully optimized for mobile devices.

TheMoney Russia mobile app:

• Push notifications on rate changes
• Integration with MOEX exchange rate in real time
• Calculator for 20+ currencies
• Rate charts for day/week/month/year
• Home screen widget
• Analyst forecasts

Download: Google Play, RuStore (for users without Google Play)

In TheMoney app:

1. Download app
2. Settings → Notifications → Enable
3. Set target rate (e.g. "notify if dollar above 100 rubles")

Telegram bot @TheMoney_ru_bot:

• /rate — current CBR and exchange rate
• /alert 100 — notification when dollar reaches 100 rubles
• /subscribe — daily newsletter at 09:00

Email newsletter:

• On website you can subscribe to morning rate summary