The Russian government has authorized the use of its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital ruble, for a wide range of state budget payments, including public-sector salaries, pensions, and social security transfers. The Ministry of Finance announced that government agencies can commence these budget transfers as early as late 2025, ahead of the broader public rollout scheduled for 2026.
The Cabinet of Ministers adopted a definitive list of expenditures eligible for payment in the digital ruble. This list encompasses social security transfers, pensions, public-sector salaries, and funding for capital construction, repair, and maintenance of state-owned facilities. A key condition mandates that payments will only be made upon the explicit request of the recipients, and only citizens themselves can open a digital ruble account.
The legal foundation for this move was established earlier in 2025 through amendments to Russia's Budget Code. These amendments provide the legal basis for executing the federal budget using a digital ruble account held by the Federal Treasury. Roman Artyukhin, head of the Federal Treasury, confirmed that the Treasury will begin accepting state revenues in the digital ruble starting January 1, 2026. He also noted that the first payments in the digital ruble were already made during 2025.
The Ministry of Finance is collaborating closely with the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) to integrate the CBDC into budget processes. Institutions and organizations will be able to use the digital ruble for inter-budget transfers starting in early 2026. The CBR has outlined a staged public introduction beginning on September 1, 2026, with fee structures already announced: person-to-person wallet transfers will be free, business payments will incur a 0.3% fee, and housing and utility payments a 0.2% fee. To minimize costs, the digital ruble will be integrated into existing banking applications rather than requiring a dedicated app.
