PANews reported on April 25 that 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, when citizens can use the digital currency for payment through the central bank platform wallet. This timetable is earlier than the industry's previous estimate of 2027.

The progress of technical testing shows that 15 banks, 1,700 citizens and about 30 companies have participated in the pilot. Although the original deployment plan was postponed in March, the then central bank governor Nabiullina emphasized that the postponement had nothing to do with the progress of the pilot. It is worth noting that the Russian government has begun to incorporate the digital ruble into the budget payment and subsidy distribution system to enhance the transparency of capital flow.