Russia’s Finance Ministry said it has started making some salary payments in the digital ruble, marking the ministry’s first reported use of the central bank digital currency for payroll.

According to the ministry, some employees have been receiving wages in the digital ruble since Oct. 1. The program is voluntary, but the ministry did not say how many workers have taken part or how much has been paid out so far.

First payroll use at the ministry

The update was reported on Oct. 4, when the ministry said a portion of its staff had begun receiving pay through the digital ruble system. While the announcement confirms that payroll distribution has started, it leaves key details undisclosed, including the number of participating employees and the total volume of funds transferred.

The ministry described the initiative as optional for employees, indicating that digital ruble salary payments are not being imposed across the workforce. No broader rollout timetable was provided in the statement cited in the report.

Built on an earlier budget pilot

The Finance Ministry said the payroll transfers used the same mechanism that was tested in a 2025 pilot program for federal budget spending. In that earlier trial, about 16 million digital rubles were distributed, giving the ministry a prior template for handling state payments with the CBDC.

By linking the salary payments to that 2025 experiment, the ministry framed the move less as a brand-new test and more as an extension of an existing payments model. The latest step suggests the government is continuing to apply the digital ruble in limited real-world public finance operations.

How the digital ruble is being developed

The digital ruble is being developed jointly by the Bank of Russia and the Finance Ministry. Work on the project began in 2021 as Russia advanced its own central bank digital currency alongside the traditional monetary system.

The currency is intended to complement, rather than replace, the existing fiat ruble. According to the report, major banks and retail companies already support transactions using the digital ruble, indicating that parts of the financial and commercial infrastructure are in place for its use.

External pressure and what comes next

The digital ruble project is moving forward against a difficult geopolitical backdrop. In April, the European Union announced preemptive sanctions on the digital ruble as part of its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

For now, the confirmed next step is limited: some Finance Ministry employees are already being paid in digital rubles, and the program remains voluntary. The ministry has not disclosed expansion plans, participant numbers, or payment totals beyond referencing the roughly 16 million digital rubles used in the 2025 budget pilot.

Source: en.bloomingbit.io