[Russia's Largest Private Bank Alfa-Bank Plans to Offer Cryptocurrency Services] According to Bits.media, Russia's largest private bank, Alfa-Bank, has announced plans to become a digital custody institution and provide cryptocurrency-related services, not only to its own clients but also to other legal entities. Dmitry Vitman, Alfa-Bank's Chief Operating Officer, stated that the bank aims to create investment tools based on open blockchains to attract foreign investors and develop proprietary products and tools capable of competing in international markets. He anticipates that after the government's crypto regulatory legislation comes into effect, Russia may see retail brokerage services emerge between late 2026 and early 2027, involving both Russian and foreign infrastructure, though large-scale liquidity is not expected before the end of 2027. Digital custody institutions are regulated entities responsible under Russian law for monitoring all client cryptocurrency transactions and freezing transfers to addresses not approved by the state.