Russia sets deadline for large banks and retailers to mass-adopt digital ruble

PANews reported on June 26 that according to Bitcoin.com, the Russian Central Bank submitted a phased promotion plan for the digital ruble to the State Duma, requiring banks and merchants to gradually and compulsorily access the digital ruble from September 1, 2026. Large retailers with annual revenues exceeding $19,000 must first support digital ruble payments, and expand to merchants with annual revenues of more than 300,000 rubles by September 2027, and achieve full coverage in September 2028 (except for small and micro businesses with annual revenues of less than 5 million rubles).

The digital ruble was originally scheduled to be launched in July 2025, but was postponed to mid-2026 due to technical debugging and bank negotiations. The system will adopt a unified QR code solution developed by the national payment card system, and the central bank emphasized that the timetable has been fully consulted with various ministries and industries.