The State Duma says there are no plans to drive cash out of circulation

The mass introduction of the digital ruble in 2025 will not cause plans to withdraw cash from circulation. This was stated on December 17 by the head of the State Duma Committee on the financial market Anatoly Aksakov.

"The state will not take any steps to displace cash," he told the RIA Novosti news agency .

The deputy noted that the introduction of the digital ruble next year will not cause a "revolution" and pointed to the high share of non-cash payments - about 90%.

"That share of cash, which is there, it will obviously turn," Aksakov added.

He also drew attention to the habits of the population: the older generation often pays in cash, while young Russians hardly use them at all.

Earlier, on November 25, Capital Lab partner Evgeny Shatov told Izvestia that the advantage of the digital ruble is that it allows you to make transactions instantly without physical transfer of money or delays that are possible with bank transfers. In addition, the digital version of Russia's national currency will be able to make settlements between citizens and companies easier and safer. The expert noted that in the future it will be possible to use the digital ruble without connecting to the Internet.

Before that, on October 17, the First Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank (CB) of Russia Olga Skorobogatova has told that the payment for goods and services with the digital ruble will be tested on the basis of a universal QR code. She explained that the decision to equally accept payments in digital rubles, through the system of fast payments (FPS) and banks' own services was made in order to avoid extra costs on the part of enterprises and credit organizations.

At the same time, Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (CBR), said in response to a question from Izvestia that systemically important banks that do not join the digital ruble pilot project will receive fines. The Chairman of the regulator said that the first stage of mass application of the digital ruble will begin on July 1, 2025. Services with the new form of national currency will be mandatory for all banks, but customers will be able to perform transactions with the digital ruble at will.