Bank of Russia: Digital Ruble Draws 220 Thousand Accounts and 150 Thousand Transactions Since September 1

The Bank of Russia has reported its first results from the mass launch of the digital ruble. According to Deputy Governor Zulfiya Kakhrumanova, Russians have opened more than 220 thousand accounts since September 1, and the number of transactions on the platform has exceeded 150 thousand. The regulator claims actual results came in above its initial forecasts. The statement was made in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda. The central bank did not name the forecast figures, so outsiders cannot gauge by how much the results exceeded them.

What we know about the launch

The digital ruble is the third form of the national currency, alongside cash and non-cash money in bank accounts. It is a liability of the Bank of Russia, stored on the regulator's platform and accessible through banking apps. The phased rollout is set by law: from September 1, 2026, the largest banks must offer the service, and other market participants follow. The central bank treats that date as the start of the mass-rollout phase.

Two figures have been published for the roughly six weeks since then:

• more than 220 thousand accounts opened;
• more than 150 thousand transactions on the platform;
• observation period of about 41 days (from September 1 to mid-October);
• the source is an interview with the central bank's deputy governor, not a separate report from the regulator.

How to read these numbers

The basic arithmetic paints a clear picture. On average, about 5 thousand accounts were opened and about 3.7 thousand transactions were made per day. That works out to fewer than one transaction per account, about 0.7. A noticeable share of wallet owners has apparently just created an account and is not using it actively yet. That is typical for the first weeks of any payment service, but it can only be confirmed with detailed statistics.

The second benchmark is reach. 220 thousand accounts equal about 0.15% of Russia's population. For comparison, the Faster Payments System (SBP) processes tens of millions of transactions a day. The digital ruble is far from that scale, and the central bank itself expected gradual growth, not an instant switchover.

The disclosed data lacks three important things:

• the ruble value of the transactions, only their count;
• the breakdown of payments: person-to-person transfers, in-store payments, or government payouts;
• the share of accounts that have made at least one transaction.

Without them, the phrase "above expectations" remains the regulator's own assessment. It set the bar itself.

What's next

The key question is not how many accounts have been opened. It is whether the digital ruble will find an everyday use case that makes people open a wallet and start using it. Transfers are already covered by SBP, and in-store payments by cards and QR codes. The digital ruble has to offer something beyond that: programmable payments, targeted payouts, smart-contract settlements. So far, no such cases are visible in the public statistics.

Practical takeaways

For users: a wallet is opened in the app of a bank that is already connected to the platform. By law, the service is free for citizens, so opening an account just to try it costs nothing. But the advantages over familiar payment methods are still modest.

For businesses: if you sell at retail, check whether you fall under the schedule for mandatory acceptance of digital rubles, and ask your acquirer about terms and fees.

For fintech teams: the central bank's platform opens up room for services built on top of it, from automated settlements to government-payment mechanics. Watch for the publication of technical documentation and for which features the regulator includes in upcoming releases.

For those following the topic: expect monthly statistics from the central bank with transaction amounts and the share of active wallets. Those figures will show whether the launch beat expectations in substance or only in the number of accounts opened.