Russia’s largest telecom operators are preparing to accept digital ruble payments from Sept. 1, aligning with the first mandatory phase of the country’s central bank digital currency rollout. MTS, Rostelecom and MegaFon are each moving to add the new payment option as the Bank of Russia expands the digital ruble from pilot testing toward broader commercial use.

The same date marks a wider compliance deadline for major banks and qualifying large merchants. Two of Russia’s biggest e-commerce platforms, Wildberries and Ozon, have also said they plan to support digital ruble payments from the start of September, adding retail scale to the first stage of adoption.

How the telecom rollout will begin

MTS said it plans to offer digital ruble payments without limiting them to specific products or services. At first, customers will be able to use the option in the My MTS mobile app and in the company’s online store, while other services connected to the MTS Pay module may also support it.

According to MTS, the checkout flow will resemble Russia’s Faster Payments System. A customer with a digital ruble account will choose the digital ruble at payment, select a participating bank and confirm the transaction through that bank’s interface.

MegaFon is also preparing to add the digital ruble as another payment method. VimpelCom, which operates under the Beeline brand, declined to comment on its plans, according to the report.

Rostelecom starts with web payments

Rostelecom said it is finishing technical work with one of Russia’s largest banks, though it did not name the lender in comments reported by Vedomosti. Its first implementation will allow one-time payments made through the company’s official website.

The operator said support inside customer accounts will be added later, expanding the service beyond the initial web-based launch. More complex features, including regular payments and automatic top-ups, will take longer.

Rostelecom said those functions depend on the Bank of Russia’s platform becoming technically ready to process them. That leaves the first phase focused on simpler transactions rather than fully automated recurring billing.

Sept. 1 also triggers broader market obligations

The telecom preparations are part of a broader legal timetable set by the Bank of Russia. From Sept. 1, merchants with revenue above 120 million rubles in the previous calendar year must support digital ruble payments if they also met the required banking conditions at the start of 2026, including an electronic payment acceptance agreement with a bank recognized as significant in Russia’s payment-services market.

The rollout will widen in later stages. Businesses with annual revenue above 30 million rubles that meet the relevant banking requirements are due to join from Sept. 1, 2027, followed by another stage in September 2028 for other merchants with revenue of at least 20 million rubles. Certain smaller outlets and locations without internet access are exempt.

The first phase also requires Russia’s largest banks to provide customers with access to digital ruble services from Sept. 1. Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina has said preparations for that scheduled rollout were ready.

How the digital ruble system is structured

Russia treats the digital ruble as a third form of the national currency alongside cash and existing non-cash rubles. The digital ruble account is held on the Bank of Russia’s platform, while commercial banks provide access to it through their mobile apps and other interfaces. One digital ruble is equal in value to one conventional ruble.

The central bank says individuals will not be required to open a digital ruble account, and such accounts cannot be created automatically without the customer’s choice. Users can fund an account by transferring non-cash rubles from a bank account, subject to a monthly limit of 300,000 rubles for transfers into the digital ruble account.

For consumers, person-to-person transfers and payments to companies carry no platform fee under the Bank of Russia’s tariff schedule. Businesses also have a temporary exemption through the end of 2026, after which a 0.3% fee capped at 1,500 rubles per customer-to-business transfer is scheduled to apply from Jan. 1, 2027 for most commercial payments.

What comes next in the rollout

The September launch follows a pilot that began in August 2023 with a limited group of banks and users, then expanded over time to include more participants and transaction types. Russia’s 12 systemically important banks, including Sberbank, VTB, T-Bank and Alfa-Bank, are expected to be the main access points for the first wave of customer use.

Wildberries and Ozon have also said they are preparing to accept digital ruble payments from Sept. 1. Ozon has said it will start in a testing mode alongside existing payment methods before widening access, while Wildberries said its implementation is being carried out in line with central bank requirements and current regulations.

Later stages will bring in smaller merchants and more banks. The Bank of Russia has said universal-license banks are due to follow in September 2027, with banks holding basic licenses joining in September 2028, extending the CBDC system beyond the largest institutions entering first.

Source: crypto.news