Deputy Governor of the Russian Central Bank: Digital Ruble Payment Network Set to Launch in 2026

According to Bitcoin.com, Anna Katamadze, Deputy Governor of the Russian Central Bank, announced that the digital ruble payment network is scheduled to be launched in 2026, allowing citizens to use the digital currency for payments through the central bank platform wallet. This schedule is earlier than the industry's previous estimate of 2027. The progress of technical testing shows that currently 15 banks, 1700 citizens, and about 30 enterprises have participated in the pilot program. Although the original deployment plan was postponed in March, the then central bank governor Nabiullina emphasized that the delay was not related to the progress of the pilot program. It is worth noting that the Russian government has started to incorporate the digital ruble into the budget payment and subsidy distribution system to enhance the transparency of fund circulation.