Approximately one in ten Russians consider adopting digital currency as their preferred financial method.
Russia is gearing up for the introduction of its digital ruble, with a phased nationwide rollout scheduled to begin on September 1, 2026. The rollout will see the largest banks and commercial merchants with annual revenues exceeding 120 million rubles (around $19,000) adopting the digital ruble first, followed by smaller institutions and businesses over the next two years.
According to the Bank of Russia, these merchants must begin processing digital ruble transactions from September 1, 2026, and offer customers the option to pay using digital rubles from this date. Smaller banks and retailers with annual revenues exceeding 30 million rubles will have an additional year to implement the system, with a deadline of September 1, 2027. All other banks and businesses, excluding those with very small scale, will have until September 1, 2028 to fully integrate the digital ruble payments.
Retail outlets with annual revenue of less than 5 million rubles are not required to configure their systems to accept and issue digital rubles.
A successful pilot program involving 15 financial institutions, about 2,000 individual users, and 50 corporate entities has already processed around 100,000 transactions, indicating operational readiness ahead of the full rollout. To facilitate payments, a universal QR code system developed by Russia’s National Payment Card System (NSPK) will be used, and banks must be technically prepared to operate with this system by the initial launch date in 2026.
The survey, conducted among 1500 Russians aged 18 to 65 in cities with a population of over 100,000, shows that 46% of Russians are ready to convert their funds into the digital ruble under certain conditions. Among the possibilities for using the digital ruble, social payments, fines, account opening, and transportation card top-ups are being considered.
From January 1, 2026, budget workers will start receiving salaries in digital rubles. However, most Russians surveyed believe that completely eliminating cash is not feasible, with more than half of respondents opposing the introduction of payment chips.
Despite these reservations, a quarter of Russians consider eye identification the most promising for future banking operations, while 38% of respondents would prefer to follow investment recommendations from digital assistants. The mass introduction of the digital ruble in Russia is scheduled for 2026, with the Bank of Russia setting the launch date for the digital ruble as September 1, 2026.
Notably, VTB has already completed the setup of the technological infrastructure for the use of the digital ruble, and 44% of respondents are ready to entrust digital assistants with timely payment of utilities and taxes. However, most surveyed emphasize the importance of maintaining traditional bank offices for communication with experts and consultants.
In summary, the digital ruble rollout targets a staggered integration with the largest and most financially significant banks and businesses adopting it first in 2026, followed by progressively smaller institutions and companies over the next two years until full national coverage by 2028 (excluding remote areas). The survey results suggest a mixed response from the public, with a significant number of Russians ready to embrace digital payments, but also expressing concerns about the elimination of cash and the introduction of new technologies.
The staggered integration of the digital ruble will initially include Russia's largest banks and commercial merchants with annual revenues exceeding 120 million rubles, commencing transactions from September 1, 2026. Moreover, a growing number of Russians are showing interest in digital payments, with 46% ready to convert their funds into the digital ruble, particularly for social payments, fines, account opening, and transportation card top-ups.
