Russians were told about the lack of anonymity when introducing the digital ruble

After the advent of the digital ruble, the issue of anonymity will fade into the background. Already today, non-cash payments leave a mark, and digital currency in this sense will not be an exception. On September 9, Artur Leer, Vice President of the Association of Exporters and Importers, Managing partner of Lex Alliance Law Firm, told Izvestia more about the new form of money.

"The history of operations will be recorded, and strictly limited structures will receive access to it upon request and only if illegal actions are suspected. Tax authorities and law enforcement agencies will be able to access this information based on current laws and procedures, meaning there can be no arbitrary decisions here," he said.

As for the thresholds for anonymous transactions, the system will work according to the same principles as in the banking sector today: small transfers and everyday purchases will not raise questions. Only transactions that meet the criteria of suspicious will attract attention. According to Leer, this is a standard financial control practice that does not introduce new restrictions compared to existing ones.

The opposite consequences: banks will have to return digital rubles when transferring to fraudsters.

How will the mechanism work and how can scammers lure out a new form of money?

Special attention is paid to data protection issues. Digital currency requires modern cybersecurity technologies, and the software being developed is aimed at minimizing the risks of leaks and hacks. Here we are talking about technological solutions that allow us to maintain a level of security no lower than with traditional cashless payments.

"It is important that the use of the digital ruble remains a matter of personal choice. You will be able to pay in cash, as well as by card or a new form of money. No one will administratively push citizens to mandatory use of digital currency. Most likely, marketing tools and loyalty programs will be used to make it convenient and attractive to some users," the expert said.

He also noted that concerns that the government will be able to automatically impose taxes or fines on purchases are not supported by the regulatory framework. Current legislation already regulates issues of confidentiality and access to banking information, and the introduction of the digital ruble does not entail new risks compared to current conditions.

"This is just an additional payment instrument, the development of which corresponds to global trends, and Russia is moving in line with the global movement towards digital currency solutions," the expert concluded.

Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on the financial market, told Izvestia earlier in the day that Russian banks would be required to return funds transferred in digital rubles to fraudsters if the attackers were on the Central Bank's blacklist. At the moment, this practice is already being applied to non-cash transfers.

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