The number of digital ruble accounts has exceeded the forecast fourfold, reaching 220,000

Deputy head of the Central Bank Zulfia Kakhrumanova noted that they had expected 60,000 accounts in the first month after the CBDC launch. At the same time, VTB, the second-largest Russian bank, said that 1,500 corporate clients were ready to open such accounts.

In October, the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank also began paying employees’ salaries in digital rubles on a voluntary basis. Similar initiatives, with payments expanded to other organizations, could significantly increase the number of accounts by the end of this month.