The launch of the digital ruble will be postponed to 2026

The launch of the digital ruble was postponed until at least 2026, most likely, it will not work until next summer, Anatoly Aksakov, head of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets, told Izvestia. Prior to that, the head of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, announced plans to postpone the introduction of a new form of currency, but did not specify the exact dates.

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The MP noted that it makes no sense to postpone the launch of the digital ruble too much, because the infrastructure for this is ready from the Central Bank and most large banks would be ready by July 1. Small credit institutions have problems — many of them simply do not have enough resources to ensure the development of the necessary technological base.

Market participants interviewed by Izvestia have a different opinion. Thus, according to Alexey Voilukov, an MBA professor of business practice in digital finance at RANEPA and former vice president of the Association of Banks of Russia, the infrastructure itself is not yet ready for the full implementation of the third form of money. He clarified that the testing of the project is about a year behind the initial roadmap.

Dmitry Tselishchev, Managing Director of the Rikom-Trust investment company, is confident that even more time will be needed. According to him, the mass introduction of the third form of the national currency is technically possible no earlier than 2027. It requires significant and expensive refinement, as well as adaptation to the real conditions of the business and the financial system of the country.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

They did not keep the form: the digital ruble will be introduced no earlier than 2026