Some employees of Russia's Ministry of Finance received salary in digital rubles for the first time on October 1st, a little more than a month after the country began the large-scale expansion of its central bank-issued digital currency. The payments were confirmed by the ministry itself.
To receive the amounts, civil servants had to open digital ruble accounts on the platform operated by the Central Bank of Russia. Participation is voluntary, and the government states that workers can choose whether or not they want to receive payments in this modality.
The ministry did not inform how many employees joined nor the total amount transferred. The move, however, places one of the main structures of the federal government among the first bodies to use the infrastructure after the start of the system's expansion phase.
Expansion gained scale in September
Since September 1st, 2026, the largest Russian banks became obligated to offer their clients access to operations with digital rubles. Large retail companies also began accepting payments through the new infrastructure, within a schedule that will be gradually expanded until 2028.
The digital ruble is issued directly by the Central Bank of Russia and works as a third form of the national currency, alongside cash and traditional bank deposits. One digital ruble keeps the same value as one ruble in the other forms.
The October payments do not represent, however, the first use of digital rubles for salaries within the federal budget. In September 2025, during the pilot phase, the Russian Treasury carried out a first salary transfer in this modality to a person who held a federal public office. The test also included scholarships and payments related to public contracts.
The difference now is the instrument's entry into the routine of employees of the Ministry of Finance itself, already within the expanded use phase. Since January 2026, the digital ruble can also be used more broadly in federal budget operations, while the integration of other spheres of the public budget will continue in stages.
