Russia’s digital ruble broad rollout began on September 1, 2026, following real-user testing that started in 2023. In its first 10 days, users opened 87,000 digital-ruble accounts and completed around 50,000 transactions, figures announced by Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina on September 11. Some banks initially experienced delays with wallet openings and payments, but the issues were resolved without mass complaints. The digital ruble is a centralized, voluntary third form of the Russian ruble that operates on the Bank of Russia’s platform rather than a cryptocurrency network. Wallet balances earn no interest or cashback, while individual transfers and payments are currently free. Monthly top-ups from regular bank accounts are capped at RUB 300,000, and merchants face fees of up to 0.3% for ordinary payments and 0.2% for housing and utility payments. Internet access is currently required, with offline payments planned for a later stage. From September 1, 12 major Russian banks and qualifying retailers must accept digital-ruble payments, with more companies to be included through 2028. The retailer threshold remains disputed: the new report cites annual sales above 1.2 million rubles, while an earlier account cited more than 120 million rubles, or about $1.42 million.