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Russia's central bank digital currency, the third form of the national currency after cash and bank money, in phased rollout through 2028.
Bank of Russia says more than 220,000 people opened digital ruble accounts in the first month, against roughly 60,000 it expected by year-end. With no data yet on balances or payments, the count says more about a cautious forecast and a mandated rollout than about demand.
Reality
Russia's Finance Ministry paid some staff in digital rubles on Oct. 1, after 2025 budget trials worth nearly 16 million rubles. Payroll transfers are free on the central bank's platform through 2026, so the state carries the cost of moving its wages over.
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Sber says it will take USDT and Ether as loan collateral once the Bank of Russia permits public trading, which means the menu is set by the listing tests the central bank published on 11 August, not by the bank's appetite.
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Sber has put a price on moving Russian trade payments out of the fiat system, and the price is the only quantity it published; the app that would make it self-service is not due until the end of 2026.
Reality
Named telecoms and marketplaces begin taking the state's digital ruble on September 1, and a phased law makes acceptance compulsory by 2028, while paying with crypto stays illegal.
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Russia's two dominant marketplaces say they will accept digital rubles from September 1, with wallets opening inside existing bank apps. The mandate for large chains is dated a year later.
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