Russia Makes First Salary Payment in Digital Rubles
The Russian government has issued a monthly salary in digital rubles for the first time, showcasing its readiness to continue this practice upon request.
This development arrives nearly a year ahead of the planned rollout of Russia’s digital currency for public use, which will take place in phases starting next fall.
For the first time, Russia has utilized its central bank digital currency (CBDC) for salary disbursement, as announced by the Ministry of Finance (Minfin).
In a press release published on its website on Wednesday, the department stated: “The first budget payment in digital rubles has been successfully completed.” It further explained:
- “The Russian Treasury has made the first salary payment in digital rubles to an individual holding a government position in the Russian Federation.”
The department mentioned that the initiative to integrate the sovereign coin into the budgetary process is being conducted in collaboration with the Central Bank of Russia (CBR), the currency’s issuer.
Starting January 1, 2026, the Minfin and the CBR will facilitate transactions between digital ruble accounts, the ministry additionally disclosed.
The digital version of the national fiat will be employed for intra-budgetary transfers and for various payments from the federal budget, as outlined in the announcement.
The ministry emphasized that payments in digital rubles will occur only at the recipient’s request. However, it did not disclose who was the first to request their salary in CBDC.
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Russian media revealed that the initial digital ruble salary was disbursed to Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the Committee on Financial Markets at the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.
Aksakov has been actively involved in legislative initiatives aimed at regulating digital financial assets in Russia and developing the legal framework for the country’s own digital currency.
According to his press service, the lawmaker received the funds in his wallet on the CBR’s dedicated platform and subsequently participated in testing the digital Russian ruble by making several transactions.
Aksakov transferred money to the Life Line foundation, which supports children with illnesses, and to the SOS Children’s Villages charity for orphans.
He also used the digital currency to order food at a Teremok restaurant, a fast-food chain serving traditional Russian cuisine.
In July, Aksakov publicly mentioned that he had requested relevant agencies to make him “the first person to start receiving a salary in digital rubles,” as noted by the business news outlet.
The Bank of Russia began its CBDC development in 2021. Two years later, the Russian parliament passed the necessary legislation for its implementation.
Later that same year, the CBR initiated trials, inviting a select group of participants that included commercial banks, corporations, and private individuals.
Although the coin’s launch was initially set for 2025, the monetary authority postponed it to next year. Following a call from President Vladimir Putin for broader adoption this summer, the regulator rescheduled it for September 1, 2026.
The state-issued digital currency will be rolled out in multiple stages. These dates were approved by Russian legislators through a special law, which Putin signed in July.
In June, the Moscow Metro, the subway system of the Russian capital, announced that it had processed its first payment using digital rubles.
In August, Russia recorded its first real estate transaction completed with the government cryptocurrency, as reported by Cryptopolitan.
Furthermore, in September, St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport, the second busiest in Russia, accepted digital rubles from a customer who paid for parking using a smartphone to scan a QR code. The airport plans to expand the CBDC payment option to additional services in the future.
