MTS to accept digital ruble payments from September 1 as Russia’s CBDC mandate begins

MTS said August 24, 2026 that customers will be able to pay with Russia’s digital ruble through its My MTS app and online store starting September 1, when the country’s central bank digital currency becomes mandatory for major banks and large retailers under a Bank of Russia rollout schedule.

The development places some of the country’s biggest consumer-facing businesses directly into the expanding digital currency infrastructure.

Telecom giants prepare for digital ruble payments

MTS is expected to have one of the broader initial implementations. The telecommunications company plans to make digital ruble payments available through services connected to its MTS Pay system, including the My MTS mobile application and its online store.

The company is also positioned to extend the payment method to other services where MTS Pay has already been integrated.

The process is designed to resemble Russia’s existing Faster Payments System. Customers with a digital ruble account will be able to select the digital currency at checkout, choose a participating bank and authorize the transaction through their banking interface.

Unlike conventional cryptocurrencies, the digital ruble is issued and operated by the Bank of Russia. Its value is fixed at one digital ruble for one conventional ruble, making it a digital form of Russia’s national currency rather than a privately issued cryptoasset.

Customer wallets are maintained on the central bank’s digital ruble platform, while commercial banks provide access through their applications.

Rostelecom is taking a more gradual approach. At launch, customers are expected to be able to use digital ruble payments for one-time transactions through the company’s official website. The operator plans to introduce the payment option inside customer accounts later.

Recurring payments and automatic account top-ups are expected to require additional technical development because those functions depend on capabilities being added to the Bank of Russia’s digital ruble platform.

MegaFon is also preparing an integration, although the implementation details remain less extensive than those disclosed by MTS and Rostelecom.

September deadline expands digital ruble adoption

The telecom preparations coincide with a major regulatory milestone. Beginning September 1, eligible merchants with annual revenue above 120 million rubles must provide customers with the option of paying in digital rubles if they satisfy the applicable banking requirements.

The implementation is deliberately being introduced in stages rather than across the entire Russian economy at once.

From September 2027, the requirement will extend to qualifying businesses with annual revenue above 30 million rubles. A further stage is scheduled for September 2028, covering other qualifying merchants with revenue of at least 20 million rubles.

Smaller businesses are not universally covered. Certain outlets with annual revenue below 5 million rubles are exempt, as are sales locations operating without internet access.

The Bank of Russia has also confirmed that major banks must provide their customers with access to digital ruble services from September 1. Individuals will not automatically receive a digital ruble account and will not be required to use the currency.

Instead, customers can access the system through participating banks and choose whether to transact using the CBDC. The CBDC is directly issued by the Russian central bank and functions as part of the country’s official monetary system.

Digital ruble payments offer businesses a phased transition

The rollout also introduces an initial cost incentive for businesses. According to the Bank of Russia, qualifying business transactions involving the digital ruble will carry a zero tariff through the end of 2026.

From January 1, 2027, most commercial payments are scheduled to face a 0.3% charge, capped at 1,500 rubles per customer-to-business transaction. Individual transfers and payments to businesses remain free under the central bank’s tariff structure.

Digital ruble payments can be implemented by opening a digital ruble account through a participating credit institution and configuring payment infrastructure.

The Bank of Russia has also indicated that a universal QR-code system will support transactions, with merchant funds credited to their digital ruble accounts in real time.

The system has been developing for several years. Russia began its digital ruble pilot in 2023 with a limited number of banks, customers and transaction types. The September 2026 expansion therefore represents a transition from controlled experimentation toward broader commercial use.

Russian banks have previously raised concerns about the cost of connecting to the CBDC infrastructure, particularly for smaller institutions that may need substantial upgrades to core banking systems, compliance technology and other infrastructure.

Digital ruble payments arrive alongside Russia’s crypto reforms

The expansion of digital ruble payments is occurring at the same time that Russia is developing a separate regulatory framework for private digital assets. The two initiatives should not be treated as interchangeable.

The digital ruble is Russia’s central bank-issued digital currency and is being introduced for domestic payments. Private cryptocurrencies, meanwhile, remain subject to a separate regulatory framework, with restrictions on their use as ordinary domestic payment instruments.

Russia has been working on rules covering regulated cryptocurrency exchanges, digital-asset depositories and other crypto-related activities.

Russia’s CBDC expansion does not represent the legalization of Bitcoin or stablecoins as everyday domestic payment currencies. Instead, it demonstrates how a major economy is building government-controlled digital payment infrastructure alongside a separately regulated private crypto market.

The September 1 milestone could nevertheless provide an important test of consumer and merchant adoption.

MTS, Rostelecom and MegaFon give the system access to large customer bases, while major marketplaces such as Wildberries and Ozon are also preparing to support digital ruble payments.

If the rollout performs as planned, digital ruble payments could become increasingly embedded in everyday commerce, creating a larger real-world test for central bank digital currencies.

For investors watching the global CBDC race, Russia’s September expansion offers another data point on how state-backed digital money can move from pilot programs into mainstream commercial infrastructure.