Central Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina said 270,000 digital ruble accounts had been opened since its September 1 launch, more than the bank expected. She said legal entities opened 15,000 accounts and individual entrepreneurs opened the rest. The source does not give a year for the launch and describes it both as nationwide and as still being prepared for a nationwide launch.
Nabiullina said the bank expected to launch a subscription service toward the end of November and planned to test offline payments the following year. The Finance Ministry said its employees could choose to receive wages in digital rubles; direct ATM withdrawals were discussed as a possibility, not an available service.
