Russia Digital Ruble
Bank of Russia
Status
Architecture
Cross-Border Projects
No cross-border projects reported.
Capabilities
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Russia have a CBDC?
Yes, Russia is developing Russia Digital Ruble, currently in pilot phase.
What is the status of Russia's CBDC?
Russia Digital Ruble is in pilot phase as of 2026-02-18. The pilot program is actively testing with real users.
When did Russia launch its CBDC pilot?
No pilot launch date has been announced yet. The project is currently in pilot phase.
How many people use Russia's CBDC?
User and wallet metrics are not publicly available at this time.
Is Russia's CBDC retail or wholesale?
Russia Digital Ruble is a retail CBDC designed for public use in everyday transactions.
Which central bank manages Russia Digital Ruble?
Russia Digital Ruble is managed by Bank of Russia.
Recent Developments
Russia's Digital Ruble pilot expanded significantly in 2024-2025. According to the Bank of Russia's June 2025 report, the pilot grew from the initial 13 banks (August 2023) to include 15 banks with clients across over 150 localities. By May 2025, 2,500 digital wallets were opened with participants conducting more than 63,000 money transfers, nearly 13,000 payments for goods and services, and over 17,000 smart contracts. Sber (Russia's largest bank), TBank (formerly Tinkoff), and Tochka Bank joined the pilot in late August 2024. A State Duma bill confirmed planned mass-scale rollout for July 2025, though Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina announced in February 2025 that full-scale adoption would shift to a slightly later date. Russia plans to initiate first cross-border digital ruble payments in H2 2025, potentially with China or Belarus. Russia and Belarus already conducted cross-border digital financial asset transactions in March 2024.
Updated: 2/18/2026