Russians were advised not to rush to transfer their salaries to the digital ruble.

      30 December 2025 15:11 Society

      From 1 September 2026 Russians will be able to receive salaries in digital rubles. Transactions with this new form of currency will be conducted by 12 banks participating in the pilot project. This was reported by the head of the State Duma Committee on the Financial Market, Anatoly Aksakov, in a comment to RIA Novosti.

      According to Aksakov, the decision whether to receive a salary in digital rubles will be made by each citizen independently. This innovation is not mandatory, and Russians will be able to continue using traditional paper cash or cashless funds.

      However, not all experts share the optimism about a mass switch to digital rubles. Financier Alexander Losev, commenting on the situation for 360.ru, expressed doubts about the advisability of such a transition. He noted that digital rubles have limited functionality and cannot fully replace traditional money.

      "Regular money has five functions: a medium of exchange, a means of payment, a unit of account, a store of value, and international money. Digital [rubles] do not have these properties. They are defenseless against inflation and devaluation," Losev emphasized.

      The expert also noted that digital rubles cannot yet be used for deposits, which makes them less attractive in conditions of high inflation and the Central Bank's tight monetary policy. In addition, not all retail outlets will accept the new currency.

      Aksakov confirmed these concerns, specifying that from 1 September 2026 digital rubles can be used only for purchases from companies with an annual turnover of more than 120 million rubles. From 1 January 2027 this threshold will be lowered to 30 million rubles and above. Full integration of the digital ruble into Russia's financial and trade system is planned for 1 September 2028.

      At the end of November the press service of the Central Bank reported that transactions using digital rubles will be free for citizens. Banks will not be able to set limits on the volume of such transfers. For businesses, however, a minimal fee will be provided for using the new payment system.

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