Published on: 2026-10-12
Source: Central Bank of Russia – Central Bank of Russia –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
I try to pay everywhere with digital rubles
Now our currency has as many as three forms! There used to be cash and non-cash, and starting from September 1, the digital ruble has officially entered circulation in Russia. From a technical standpoint, everything works smoothly, but questions still remain.
Why was a third form of the national currency needed? Where is it more advantageous to use it? And what else is the Central Bank inventing? Zulfiya Kahrumanova, Deputy Chairperson of the Bank of Russia, answered all these questions on the air of the radio station “Komsomolskaya Pravda.”
On the very first day, I bought clothes for myself
– More than a month has passed since the launch of the digital ruble. Are you satisfied with the results?
– Yes, quite. Our initial forecasts were much more modest. And now we have exceeded 220 thousand accounts (about 10 thousand of which were opened by legal entities, – Ed.) and over 150 thousand transactions on the digital ruble platform. Good pace.
Currently, the rate of account openings has decreased. It has stabilized at a level of 3 to 5 thousand accounts per day. So, we are satisfied with the launch.
– Where is digital currency most often used for payment?
– In various locations. Mainly these are large retail chains and marketplaces. Many people pay for their purchases at self-service terminals.
Have you already used the digital ruble yourself?
– Of course. I opened a digital ruble account during the pilot phase and conducted transactions where it was possible. Additionally, I have been receiving my salary in digital rubles since July – that’s also an interesting experience.
– So, not only the brave employees of the Ministry of Finance, but also the employees of the Central Bank receive their salary in digital rubles?
– Yes. But we were a little earlier. Colleagues from the Ministry of Finance joined this group on October 1st. Personally, I bought clothes on the very first day. And basically, now I try to pay with them everywhere. At first, the cashiers were surprised and said they needed to check, but now they reply: “Yes, of course.”
I find this interesting not only as a new technology but also as a user journey. I look at how payment is organized inside mobile banking applications, how the payment forms look. If I see that something can be simplified, I pass it on to our team as a task to improve the customer journey.
– Basically, the process is quite simple anyway…
– Yes, and a digital ruble account can be both easily opened and quickly closed. In the same application. And then, if you want, you can open it again. There are no obligations or restrictions. I think this was also a reason why the actual numbers turned out to be higher than the forecasts.
IT professionals are a superstitious people
– You tested the digital ruble technology for a very long time – three years. Were there no glitches at launch?
– Everything is functioning normally. IT people are a superstitious bunch; we say the phrase “there were no glitches” cautiously. I don’t want to stir up the information space.
At the start, some users who were opening accounts experienced difficulties, but we and the banks responded very promptly during the first weeks of intensive account openings. The issues were explained by the large number of involved participants: trading and service companies, banking applications, government services, terminals at cash registers, mobile devices with different operating systems and versions. If questions arose, we worked through them with the banks practically on the fly. For such a large-scale project, the launch went quite well. There were no major problems.
– By the way, almost immediately there were reports that scammers were already exploiting the topic of the digital ruble. Is that true?
– There are no confirmed fraud schemes specifically involving the digital ruble. We have made considerable efforts to protect this system from various types of interference. But criminals always adapt to the current agenda. The digital ruble is on everyone’s mind. The main protection is knowledge. If you know the subject well, it’s impossible to confuse you.
A digital ruble account can only be opened by the person themselves, only from their own mobile device, and only if they decide to do so within the bank’s mobile application. No one can open the account automatically. If someone calls and asks you to provide a code, follow a link, or transfer funds – they are scammers. Just hang up.
– What are the main clues used?
– The patterns (schemes, templates, – Editor’s note) are the same as in other topics. They call, offer to open an account. Or say that an account has already been opened for you and offer to transfer funds to it. Then they scare and manipulate the victim. That is why knowledge about the subject is needed here.
Your money – your choice
– Then let’s add that knowledge as well. For those who haven’t read the news in the last five years: what is the digital ruble?
– Digital rubles are rubles just the same, but in digital form and on the Bank of Russia’s platform. One digital ruble equals one cash ruble and one non-cash ruble. You have cash in your wallet, non-cash on your bank accounts, and digital rubles in an account on the Bank of Russia’s platform. All funds are absolutely equivalent. You choose what to pay with at the checkout. It’s your money, your choice.
Editor’s note: a digital ruble wallet on the Central Bank platform can be opened through the app of any major bank. There, you can also convert money from non-cash to digital form and vice versa.
– If you transfer money from one form to another, are there any fees?
– No, it is absolutely free. Both ways. Moreover, on the digital ruble platform, all transfers for citizens are free. A person can make transfers without limits and fees. For companies, the commission for trade operations (acquiring) is only 0.3% (it is not charged at all until the end of the year. – Ed.).
– So, it’s lower than even in the Fast Payment System, where the commission is 0.5%?
– Yes. In addition, the digital ruble account can be accessed through the mobile app of any bank where you have an account. This provides more options. If you can’t log in through one bank’s app, you can log in through another bank’s app and use the funds.
– What other obvious benefits are there for individuals?
– Funds in the digital ruble account are fully guaranteed by the state, without any limitations. When it comes to non-cash accounts, there is a certain guaranteed amount – 1.4 million rubles.
– iPhone owners cannot install the digital ruble application due to Apple’s machinations. And this is about every fifth user. What do you think, is this problem going to be resolved soon?
– Several banks are already enabling the opening of digital ruble accounts for iPhone owners through their mobile applications. I believe that over time all banks will solve this issue. You can contact the bank’s support, and they will offer you an option to obtain the appropriate application.
– One of the “features” of the digital ruble was supposed to be offline payment, when the internet is not working. But so far it is not available. What is the status of this technology?
– This year, we have explored potential technological solutions to apply them in practice. What could this look like? For example, a protected SIM card in the phone or another physical mechanism. Transfer funds to this offline wallet if you understand that you might find yourself in a place without mobile internet. And calmly pay for purchases there or elsewhere. We will now try a prototype with a small number of participants, then scale it up. Our main task is to ensure that the user journey is protected and secure, while also convenient.
Subscriptions and smart contracts
– What are the plans for the digital ruble in the coming years?
– There are many plans.
Firstly, a subscription service will appear soon. It will be possible to pay for them from a digital ruble account. In November, the digital ruble platform release will include a subscription service. If you are used to paying for services and utilities from a linked account, the funds will be debited from the linked account.
Secondly, smart contracts. Their essence lies in the fact that payment occurs according to algorithmic rules. Upon the occurrence of a certain event, payment is made automatically. An example is a secure transaction for buying and selling a car. The seller and buyer on the digital ruble platform sign a smart contract stating that the funds will be transferred at the moment the buyer registers the car. To do this, the platform will receive information from external trusted sources and government information systems. This is a fast and secure transaction.
– Can you describe simple scenarios when it is more advantageous to use the digital ruble? For example, I opened the wallet and…
– The first scenario. You urgently need to transfer a large sum of money to a relative. Through the digital ruble platform, this can be done for free and without any limits (there is only one restriction – you can transfer your money into digital rubles for no more than 300 thousand rubles per month. – Ed.).
Second scenario. If you are an individual entrepreneur, you want to save on payment acceptance. Digital “acquiring” is more profitable.
And the third scenario. You are the owner of a large holding company with many legal entities across the country. You want to save on transfers and not be tied to the operating day in different time zones, doing it seamlessly and promptly. And also save on payroll payments. If you do this in digital rubles, it will cost only 1 ruble per line in the registry.
– So, one ruble per person twice a month?
– Yes. These are three scenarios that are working now. And in the near future, smart contracts and algorithmizable payments (for example, automatic monthly transfers to parents, – Ed.) will appear. Then routine checks will be shifted to platform solutions. This will allow for service optimization, making them simpler and saving costs within the economy.
Actually, we have many ideas. But banks need time to adapt their systems. So we will introduce everything gradually.
– No additional equipment is needed to receive digital rubles?
– No need. The same terminals used for the Fast Payment System are used. The QR code scanned is the same. Since September 1, it is universal. This saves costs throughout the cycle.
– As a regulator, you were responsible for banks and financial stability. Now, by creating the digital ruble platform, you hold part of the funds yourself and take responsibility for our money. How does that feel?
– We are responsible for the Bank of Russia’s payment system. This is often forgotten. But it concerns the operations of all credit organizations, millions of transactions, trillions of rubles every day.
In 2018, we consolidated all the Bank of Russia’s settlement systems into one centralized system. Prior to that, banks sent payment orders to different regional systems depending on the settlement location. There was even a term “interregional settlements.” Different systems were also used depending on the urgency of the payment. Since mid-2018, it has become a single system. It became convenient for banks to send payments. We carried out meticulous work. The system merger went so smoothly that banks barely noticed.
Then, based on the centralized system, we launched the Fast Payment System. Today, this system handles millions of transactions. We are responsible for them and for all settlements.
So the digital ruble is not the first large-scale project in which we are responsible for clients’ funds. Nevertheless, September 1 was still exciting, because in terms of the number of participants involved, the digital ruble is our largest project.
Evgeny Belyakov, Komsomolskaya Pravda
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of information. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.