Russia’s Finance Ministry pays wages in digital rubles for first time
Russia’s Finance Ministry said some employees were paid in the central bank digital currency for the first time, with the option to receive wages in the digital ruble available voluntarily starting Oct. 1. The ministry gave no details on the number of recipients or total payroll paid in the digital currency.
Why It Matters
The move marks an early operational use of the digital ruble within a federal institution and follows prior budget-disbursement trials that tested the currency’s infrastructure. Coordination between the Bank of Russia and the Finance Ministry on integrating the digital ruble into budget processes could shape broader adoption within state financial operations.
Key Facts
- Who: Russia's Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Russia
- What: Some ministry employees received wages in the digital ruble for the first time
- When: Option began on Oct. 1 (ministry press release) — first payrolls paid Friday (announcement date)
- Trial precedent: During 2025 federal budget spending trials about 16 million digital rubles (~$192,245) was disbursed
- Disclosure: Ministry did not state how many employees were paid or the total payroll amount in digital rubles},{
Russia’s Finance Ministry announced that some of its staff have been paid using the central bank’s digital currency, the digital ruble, marking the first reported instance of wages being disbursed in the new form of money. According to the ministry’s press release, receiving pay in digital rubles is voluntary for citizens and the option became available on Oct. 1. The ministry did not disclose how many employees opted in or the total value paid in digital rubles.
The ministry said it relied on mechanisms tested during federal budget spending trials in 2025, which transferred roughly 16 million digital rubles (about $192,245) as part of that pilot. The Finance Ministry added that the Bank of Russia is collaborating with it on integrating the digital ruble into the federal budget process.
Cointelegraph previously reported on July 2 that Russia planned a broader launch of the digital ruble on Sept. 1, when major banks and retail companies began enabling transactions in the new currency. Russian state media had described the digital ruble as a complement to the existing fiat ruble, with initial acceptance focused on financial and credit institutions.
The digital ruble project has been under development since 2021 and drew preemptive restrictions from the European Union in April as part of a sanctions package tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The ministry’s announcement underscores a gradual shift from trials to operational use within state financial workflows, even as some international constraints remain in place.
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