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Russia’s Finance Ministry pays wages in digital rubles for first time
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Russia’s Ministry of Finance said on Friday that some employees had received wages in digital rubles for the first time. The currency is available to Russian citizens voluntarily and became available on Thursday, Oct. 1. The ministry did not disclose the number of recipients or total payroll.
The ministry said it applied infrastructure tested during federal budget spending trials in 2025. About 16 million digital rubles, or $192,245, were disbursed in those trials. The salary payment extends that budget-process experience to the ministry’s own procedures.
The Bank of Russia and Ministry of Finance are working together to introduce the digital ruble into the budget process. Development of the currency began in 2021. The ministry’s wage experiment represents an early operational use of a project previously tested through public spending.
The digital ruble was intended as a complement to the fiat ruble, not a replacement. Cointelegraph reported on July 2 that major banks and retail companies were expected to enable transactions from Sept. 1. RIA Novosti said initial acceptance would come from financial and credit institutions.
International sanctions have added another dimension to the project. European Union authorities announced restrictions targeting the digital ruble in April. The European Council linked the measures to Russia’s “war of aggression against Ukraine,” which it said began in February 2022.
The announcement signals practical domestic adoption, but voluntary participation and undisclosed payroll figures limit assessment of its scale. The 16-million-ruble trial provides a benchmark rather than proof of mass adoption. Banks, employers and citizens will determine whether the channel becomes routine.
Future work will focus on budget integration and transaction availability, officials said. If use expands, the digital ruble could become another settlement option alongside existing ruble payments. Its significance will rest on participation beyond the ministry’s initial payroll test.
