Russia’s Finance Ministry Pays Employee Wages in Digital Rubles for the First Time

Russia’s Ministry of Finance announced on Friday that some of its employees have received their wages in digital rubles for the first time. The payments started on Thursday, Oct. 1, and are voluntary for Russian citizens. The ministry has not revealed how many staff took part or what the total payroll amount was. It says the move builds on budget spending trials in 2025, when about 16 million digital rubles, roughly $192,245, were disbursed, so proven rails are now being used for its own salary process.

Bank of Russia and Finance Ministry Budget Work

The Bank of Russia and the Ministry of Finance are jointly working to bring the digital ruble into the federal budget process. This salary pilot is one concrete step in that effort, showing how the central bank digital currency could move from retail use into government payments.

Digital Ruble Rollout and EU Sanctions

The digital ruble has been in development since 2021. Russia planned a Sept. 1 launch, when major banks and retail firms started enabling transactions. It was designed to complement the regular ruble and was initially to be accepted by financial and credit institutions. In April, the European Union announced restrictions on the currency as part of a sanctions package responding to Russia’s war on Ukraine. Separately, Russia has also proposed exchange trading for Bitcoin, Ether and Tether’s USDT.