Russia begins large-scale introduction of the digital ruble into its budget and banking system.

PANews reported on January 8th that, according to Cryptopolitan citing RIA Novosti, Russia has begun a large-scale rollout of the digital ruble in its budget system and banking sector, in preparation for a full rollout in September. Since the beginning of the year, the digital ruble has been actively used in state-related transactions and can now be used for transfers to the government budget and payments to federal agencies.

Russia has set a phased timetable and deadline for the rollout of the digital ruble for banks and businesses, stipulating that by September 1, 2026, Russia's largest banks and their institutional retail clients must allow customers to conduct transactions using the digital ruble. The Central Bank of Russia has also decided that, starting last week, transactions using citizens' and companies' digital ruble accounts to pay taxes, fees, and government-related payments will be free of charge.