Russia's Finance Ministry pays some staff wages in digital rubles for first time
In brief
- Russia's Finance Ministry said some employees received wages in digital rubles for the first time.
- Digital-ruble wage payments are voluntary and began Thursday, Oct. 1, per a ministry press release.
- The ministry didn't disclose participant numbers or the total payroll amount.
- About 16 million digital rubles were disbursed in 2025 federal budget spending trials.
- EU authorities announced preemptive sanctions targeting the digital ruble in April.
What the ministry disclosed (and what it didn't)
How many people actually got paid in digital rubles? The ministry didn't say, and it didn't disclose the total payroll amount either. That leaves the size of this first payroll run unknown. Participation is voluntary, so staff weren't required to switch.
What the ministry did point to was last year's testing. During federal budget spending trials in 2025, about 16 million digital rubles were disbursed, according to the ministry (Cointelegraph converted that to roughly $192,245). The ministry said it then applied those proven rails to its own salary procedure.
A rollout years in the making
Development of the digital ruble began in 2021. Cointelegraph reported on July 2 that Russia planned to launch the CBDC on Sept. 1, when major banks and retail companies began enabling transactions with it. Citing RIA Novosti, that earlier report said the digital currency would launch as a complement to the ruble (Russia's fiat currency) and would initially be accepted by financial and credit institutions.
The wage payments arrived about a month after that reported launch date.
Work on bringing the digital ruble into the budget process is being carried out jointly by the Bank of Russia and the Ministry of Finance, according to the release.
EU sanctions already in place
The digital ruble drew a response from Europe well before it reached anyone's paycheck. European Union authorities announced preemptive sanctions targeting the currency in April.
The European Council said that the sanctions package was in response to Russia’s “war of aggression against Ukraine,”
That war began in February 2022. It's the backdrop to the European Council's sanctions announcement, which singled out the digital ruble before Russia's payroll pilot had even started.
Frequently asked questions
When did Russia start paying wages in digital rubles?
According to a Ministry of Finance press release reported by Cointelegraph, voluntary payment of wages in the digital ruble began on Thursday, Oct. 1. The ministry said on Friday that some of its own employees had received wages in digital rubles for the first time.
How many Finance Ministry employees were paid in digital rubles?
The ministry didn't say. It didn't disclose how many participants were paid in digital rubles or the total payroll amount for the first run.
Why did the EU sanction the digital ruble?
European Union authorities announced preemptive sanctions targeting the digital ruble in April. The European Council said the sanctions package was a response to Russia's war against Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
