Russia Pays Officials in Digital Rubles for the First Time

The digital ruble has reached a new milestone in Russia. For the first time, some employees of the Ministry of Finance received their salary directly in the central bank’s digital currency. The system remains voluntary, and Moscow has not disclosed the number of participants or the total amount paid. After test payments and the national launch, the Russian CBDC is now included in pay slips.

The Digital Ruble Arrives in Public Salaries

The Russian Ministry of Finance confirmed on Friday that some of its employees had received their remuneration in digital rubles. This first instance comes one month after the large-scale launch of the digital ruble on September 1.

The principle remains simple: no one is forced to give up their traditional salary. The Bank of Russia states that citizens can still receive their remuneration in cash, by bank transfer, or on a Mir card. The digital ruble simply adds an additional option. To benefit, the employee must accept it and have an account on the dedicated platform.

The central bank had actually prepared this step since June. It set the tariff rules allowing companies and organizations to pay salaries and other remuneration in digital rubles.

Until the end of 2026, these transfers are free for the payer. From January 2027, the fee will be one ruble per executed order, with a minimum of 15 rubles per register. For now, Moscow is experimenting on a small scale. But the infrastructure exists.

Moscow Had Already Tested 16 Million Rubles

Salary payments do not come from nowhere. In 2025, about 16 million digital rubles had already circulated during tests related to federal budget expenditures. The Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Russia now use this same infrastructure for remunerations.

The rollout has significantly accelerated since September. Just ten days after its national opening, 87,000 digital ruble accounts had already been created. More than 50,000 transactions had also been completed.

The digital ruble functions as a third form of Russian currency, alongside cash and rubles held in bank accounts. It is therefore not a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. The issuance and platform remain directly controlled by the Bank of Russia. Digital ruble accounts are accessible through participating banks, but the units themselves exist on the central bank’s infrastructure.

Budget payments are also being gradually integrated. Since September, the Federal Treasury can make certain transfers to individuals or companies in digital rubles. These operations are currently charged 0% of the transferred amount. The pay slip simply constitutes the next step.

The Digital Ruble Scales Up Despite Reservations

The Russian schedule now becomes much more concrete. Major banks and several large retailers must already allow the use of the digital ruble since September. Other institutions will gradually follow until 2028.

This rise does not yet mean the market is massively demanding this new currency. At the end of August, Sber’s Chief Financial Officer, Taras Skvortsov, still explained not observing clear demand from individuals, businesses, or even financial institutions. Russia’s largest bank technically supports the project but remains cautious about its actual adoption.

Russia is simultaneously developing a regulated crypto market. Since September, new rules govern exchanges, custodians, and investors. However, payments in cryptocurrencies remain banned for ordinary purchases within the country, while some international uses are allowed.

Moscow thus clearly separates crypto and digital ruble. Ministry of Finance employees now illustrate this difference. They do not receive a speculative token. They receive directly a currency issued by the central bank, usable on a public infrastructure and integrated into the budgetary system. The number of employees concerned remains unknown. But after tests, individual accounts, and the first national payments, the digital ruble has nevertheless found a very concrete place: salary.