The Bank of Russia has clarified the rules for merchants accepting payments in digital rubles.

Starting September 1, 2026, some sellers and organizations that sell goods or provide services to individuals for personal, family, household, and other needs will be required to accept payments in digital rubles. The new requirements are being introduced in stages and depend primarily on the company’s annual revenue and whether it has an agreement to accept cashless payments with a credit institution recognized as a significant player in the payment services market. The Bank of Russia has specifically clarified which organizations must join the new payment method as early as September 2026, and for which the obligation will come later.

Who should accept digital rubles from September 1, 2026?

At the first stage, the requirement does not apply to all businesses. Starting September 1, 2026, only merchants who simultaneously meet the established conditions must offer digital ruble payment options:

1. their revenue for the previous calendar year must exceed 120 million rubles.
2. as of January 1, 2026, the organization or entrepreneur must have an agreement to accept electronic payments with a credit institution recognized by the Bank of Russia as significant in the payment services market.

Therefore, revenue alone is not enough. When determining the obligation, the totality of the stipulated conditions must be taken into account. If these conditions are met, the seller must provide the buyer with the option to select the digital ruble as a payment method, along with other available non-cash payment methods.

Businesses with smaller revenues will have a later deadline for joining. This requirement will be introduced in stages:

• from September 1, 2027 – for the next category of sellers, determined by established requirements for the amount of revenue;
• From September 1, 2028 – for the remaining category of businesses subject to the obligation to accept digital rubles.

This approach allows for the gradual expansion of the use of the new form of national currency while giving companies time to prepare the necessary infrastructure.

Which companies are exempt from this obligation?

However, the requirement to accept digital rubles does not apply to all merchants:

1. Specifically, companies and entrepreneurs whose total annual revenue is less than 20 million rubles are not required to enable payments in digital rubles.
2. A separate exception is provided for small retail outlets. If the annual revenue of a specific retail location is less than 5 million rubles, such a location is not required to accept digital rubles, even if several similar locations belong to the same company and its total revenue exceeds 20 million rubles. In this case, the specific retail location’s revenue is taken into account.
3. Furthermore, this obligation does not arise at the point of sale where there is no internet access. This is because transactions with digital rubles require the use of appropriate digital infrastructure and the ability to perform the necessary actions through information systems.

Therefore, when determining the liability, a business must evaluate not only its own total revenue, but also the performance of the specific sales location, as well as the availability of technical capabilities to carry out the relevant operations.

What does the obligation mean for the seller?

Enabling digital ruble payments doesn’t mean that sellers must stop accepting cash or other forms of non-cash payment. Rather, it means creating an additional payment method that buyers can use if the seller is an obligated participant.

• For businesses, this means ensuring the technical capability to accept such payments and process the transaction correctly. In practice, preparation may include interaction with the bank and configuration of the payment solutions, cash register infrastructure, and software used.
• The merchant will also need to record digital ruble transactions in their internal accounting system. The specific setup process depends on the infrastructure used and the terms of engagement with the credit institution through which payments are accepted.

How will payments in digital rubles work?

The digital ruble is a separate form of the national currency. It exists digitally and is used through a dedicated platform, so the payment mechanism differs from both cash and traditional bank card payments.

The buyer must be able to initiate a payment from their digital wallet, and the seller must be able to accept the corresponding amount into their digital account. However, having a bank card or an account with a specific bank does not in itself determine the ability to use the digital ruble: transactions are carried out within a separate digital currency infrastructure.

For merchants, the key issue is the availability of a technical solution that allows them to correctly generate a payment request, receive transaction confirmation, and record it in accounting. Therefore, preparation for mandatory acceptance of digital rubles should include not only formally connecting to the relevant service but also testing the functionality of all associated processes.

What is important for businesses to consider

Companies subject to this obligation as early as September 1, 2026, should check their compliance with the established criteria and assess the readiness of their payment infrastructure in advance. First, they should determine their revenue for the relevant period and verify that they have an agreement for accepting electronic payment instruments with a credit institution that meets the established requirements.

It’s also important to determine which specific retail outlets or service locations fall under the new rules. For companies with multiple locations, metrics may be assessed based on the specifics of each individual location, so the organization’s overall revenue does not automatically apply to each individual location.

When preparing for the new rules, businesses should pay attention to several issues:

• Does the company fall into the category of sellers that must accept digital rubles from September 1, 2026?
• What is the connection period applied based on the revenue amount?
• Are there any specific retail outlets that provide exemptions?
• is the necessary technical equipment and software available;
• is the bank or other participant in the payment infrastructure ready to provide connection;
• How will transactions with digital rubles be reflected in cash and accounting records?

Phased rollout of the digital ruble

The phased introduction of this requirement demonstrates that the transition to the digital ruble is designed to gradually expand the circle of participants. Initially, the requirements will primarily affect larger businesses, for whom setting up a new payment method should not be a critical task. The circle of obligated merchants will expand in the future.

A more lenient regime has been established for smaller companies. Businesses with revenues of less than 20 million rubles are exempt from the requirement to enable digital ruble payments, and certain small retail locations enjoy an additional exemption for revenues under 5 million rubles. Furthermore, the technical capability to perform the relevant transactions is taken into account.

As a result, the obligation to accept digital rubles depends on several factors:

• revenue volume,
• the nature of the relationship with the credit institution,
• the performance of the specific point of sale,
• the technical feasibility of the transaction.

Therefore, companies with multiple retail locations or different lines of business must assess the requirements for each location and the relevant period.

For consumers, the introduction of this new requirement means the emergence of another payment method for goods and services. For businesses, this means the need to gradually adapt their payment infrastructure to the use of the digital ruble. However, the implementation timeframes vary depending on the merchant category, so it’s important for companies to determine the onset of this obligation in advance and prepare the necessary technical and organizational processes.