Regulated forex brokers in Russia have ceased offering customer support via the messaging platform Telegram, following the enforcement of a new federal law at the beginning of June. The law prohibits financial institutions and government agencies from communicating using any foreign messaging platform.

Forex Brokers Cannot Communicate with Traders on Telegram

As first reported by RU.FinanceMagnates.com, two out of three locally regulated forex brokers in Russia have confirmed the end of their Telegram-based customer support.

“In accordance with the Federal Law on the creation of a state information system to combat offences committed using information and communication technologies, and on amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation, from 1 June 2025, customer support on Telegram will be terminated,” BCS Forex LLC, part of the BrokerCreditService financial conglomerate, stated (translated from Russian) in a message to users. “You can still contact us by phone or email.”

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Alfa-Forex, another Russian forex dealer, has taken a slightly different approach. While it is also ending customer support on Telegram, it will continue to maintain its channels on the platform for one-way announcements.

“According to Federal Law No. 41, financial institutions are prohibited from interacting with their clients via personal messages in foreign messengers. At the same time, the law does not prohibit maintaining their own channels, for example, on Telegram, which are accessible to an unlimited number of people,” Alfa-Forex told RU.FinanceMagnates.com (translated from Russian).

“In this regard, Alfa-Forex will continue to maintain its Telegram channel, including publishing news and announcements.”

The ban on communication via foreign messaging platforms also applies to the Bank of Russia, the country’s central bank. It has confirmed that it will end consultations on loans, the sending of documents, and technical support via such platforms. However, it will maintain its Telegram channel for public updates.

Russia vs Telegram

Created by Russian technology entrepreneur Pavel Durov, Telegram rose to global popularity due to its encryption features. It now has around 1 billion monthly active users worldwide.

Russia banned the messaging platform in April 2018 after Telegram refused to hand over encryption keys and user information to authorities. At the time, CEO Durov described the Moscow court’s ruling to block Telegram as “an open farce.”

Read more: Telegram Founder Pavel Durov - Privacy is Not for Sale

However, the ban was lifted a couple of years later, as users in Russia continued to access the platform by bypassing restrictions.

More recently, Vietnam, a Southeast Asian country with a population of over 100 million, blocked access to Telegram for failing to cooperate with local authorities in addressing crimes committed via the platform.

Source: Finance Magnates