“The pilot project will include testing digital ruble transactions, such as opening digital wallets by banks and customers, transfers between users and payment for services of trade and service companies using the digital ruble,” she specified.
Skorobogatova argues that the digital ruble brings the country to a new qualitative level and will allow building a system of cross-border payments with other countries.
The law on introducing the digital ruble into the banking system was passed recently. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation, which is assigned the status of the CBDC platform operator, now has the right to refuse any commercial bank to conduct a transaction. Several large banks have recently announced that they are willing to test real-world transactions with CBDC.
Meanwhile, according to a VTsIOM poll, the majority of Russians know almost nothing about the new law on the digital ruble and the authorities’ plans for its mass introduction in 2025.
Recently, the Association of Russian Banks (ARB) addressed the Russian Central Bank, saying that market participants still have many questions about the digital ruble and its regulation.