Sberbank tests DeFi products as clients’ crypto appetite grows

Sberbank tests DeFi, tokenization and Ethereum-based products as rising client demand pushes Russia’s largest bank toward public blockchain integration.

Summary

• Sberbank is piloting multiple DeFi use cases to meet growing demand for crypto trading and asset holdings from clients.
• The bank is exploring tokenization as a bridge between traditional banking and public-chain DeFi, with a focus on Ethereum’s infrastructure.
• Executives frame DeFi as complementary to existing services, signaling a broader institutional shift toward integrating decentralized finance.

Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, has confirmed it is testing multiple decentralized finance (DeFi) products as customer demand for crypto trading and digital asset holdings continues to grow, according to a statement from the bank.

Management Board Vice Chairman Anatoly Popov stated the bank is monitoring developments across tokenization and DeFi infrastructure as part of its digital asset strategy.

Rising interest from clients is driving Sberbank to explore how DeFi-based products could complement traditional banking services, Popov said. The bank is testing various DeFi use cases as it evaluates how decentralized protocols could support trading, asset management, and settlement functions, according to the statement.

Sberbank is tracking asset tokenization, viewing it as a bridge between traditional finance and decentralized markets, Popov noted. The bank is examining how tokenized assets could interact with DeFi platforms to enable greater efficiency and new financial products.

The strategy involves connectivity with existing DeFi ecosystems, rather than building isolated systems that operate separately from public blockchain networks, according to Popov.

Popov stated that Sberbank has shown interest in public-chain solutions, specifically citing Ethereum (ETH) as an example of a network offering mature infrastructure and advanced smart-contract capabilities. The statement suggests the bank is assessing whether established public networks could support institutional-grade use cases beyond private or permissioned blockchains.

The testing represents part of a broader trend of large financial institutions experimenting with decentralized technologies. Sberbank appears to be evaluating how DeFi can be integrated into existing financial models to meet customer expectations, rather than viewing it solely as a competitor, according to the bank’s statements.

The bank’s exploration of DeFi, tokenization, and public blockchain infrastructure reflects growing convergence between traditional banking and decentralized finance as crypto adoption expands.