Accounts surge after launch
Russia’s digital rouble surpassed early expectations as the Bank of Russia said it opened more than 220,000 digital rouble accounts in the first month after the currency’s launch on September 1, 2026.
Deputy Governor Zulfiya Kakhrumanova said officials expected about 60,000 accounts, and she said the first month already had “more than 220,000.”
The Reuters-referenced forecast gap appeared in multiple accounts, with one report describing the uptake as “nearly four times” the roughly 60,000 accounts officials expected after the Sept. 1 launch.
The rollout also coincided with a new cryptocurrency regulatory regime, as the Bank of Russia published admission procedures on September 24 that took effect on October 5, 2026.
The Bank of Russia’s October 6 statement did not include additional data on transaction volumes, average account balances, or the geographic distribution of digital-rouble accounts.
Rules, custody, and payments
Russia’s digital-finance framework also included a legal and regulatory buildout, as Federal Law No. 282-FZ of August 4, 2026, “On Digital Currencies and Digital Rights,” entered into force on September 1, 2026.
The law permitted retail and qualified investors to trade eligible digital assets through regulated intermediaries while prohibiting the use of cryptocurrencies for payments for goods and services inside Russia.
The Bank of Russia’s admission procedures covered cryptocurrency exchanges, digital depositories, and related operators seeking inclusion in official registers, and those procedural rules took effect on October 5, 2026.
The framework placed exchanges, repositories, and other market participants under formal supervision for trading, custody, and cross-border settlements of digital assets.
The October 6 account figures were presented as separate but concurrent components alongside the regulatory steps for digital-asset service providers.
Salaries begin in digital rubles
Russia began paying some government salaries in digital rubles for the first time, with the Russian Ministry of Finance bringing participating employees under the government payroll system as of October 1. The Ministry of Finance said participating employees opened digital ruble accounts on the Bank of Russia platform before receiving their salaries, and the ministry did not disclose the number of participating employees or the total value of the payments. The move followed earlier tests in 2025, when the ministry and the Federal Treasury used about 16 million rubles of the digital currency in experimental transactions covering salaries and selected financial allocations and payments under government contracts.
The Bank of Russia said its 2025 experimental program included basic transfers between individuals and companies, budget payments, and various types of smart contracts. The Finance Ministry and the central bank also began paying some workers’ salaries in the digital currency on a voluntary basis, while some commercial banks expressed reservations.
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