Share this article
Bank of Russia Sees Digital Ruble as a Key Project
The Russian central bank’s deputy chairwoman sees no obstacles to the launch of a CBDC.
Updated May 11, 2023, 7:07 p.m. Published Sep 13, 2021, 7:06 p.m.
The Bank of Russia included the launch of a ruble-backed digital currency in its “Strategy of Financial Markets Development Until 2030,” which outlines the central bank’s main plans for the next decade.
“One of the key projects in digitalization until 2030 will be the launch of the digital ruble, which is the third form of money issued and guaranteed by the Bank of Russia,” the Strategy, which was published in the Russian government’s portal on Monday, reads. “The launch of the digital ruble will help to further develop the payment infrastructure, stimulate competition and procure innovative financial instruments, as well as make financial services cheaper and more easily available to individuals and businesses.”
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
The bank has been contemplating issuance of its own central bank digital currency (CBDC) since last October, when it published its first analytical report outlining potential designs for a CBDC. In April, the bank updated the concept based on feedback from Russian banks and other financial markets participants in the country.
The bank was reportedly delaying a decision on launching a digital ruble until after it had tested a prototype, but the ruble’s mention in the Strategy document indicates that the institution is committed to setting a digital currency into motion.
Bank of Russia will start testing the digital ruble in January, the bank’s deputy chairwoman, Olga Skorobogatova, told CoinDesk via a spokesperson. “We’re actively developing the platform at the moment,” Skorobogatova said. “We don’t see any obstacles for launching the digital ruble; however, we will test it in pilot first.”
The pilot will have several phases and help determine a road map for the digital ruble’s launch, and amendments to current regulations, she added.
Skorobogatova called the digital ruble “one of the key projects for the Bank of Russia.”
“That’s why we included it in the Strategy,” she added.
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
TradFi giant EquiLend backs Digital Prime to link $40 trillion pool with tokenized markets
The partnership will focus on Tokenet, Digital Prime's institutional lending network, and introduce new features like regulated stablecoin collateral.
What to know:
- EquiLend made a minority investment in Digital Prime Technologies, a regulated crypto financing provider, to expand into tokenized assets and digital markets.
- The relationship will focus on Tokenet, Digital Prime's institutional lending network, and introduce new features like regulated stablecoin collateral.
- The investment aims to provide continuity across asset classes, meeting institutions' growing demand for governance and transparency in digital markets.
Top Stories
