The Central Bank of Russia stated that the digital ruble will be launched in September 2026.

According to Gate News bot, as reported by Cryptonews, the Central Bank of Russia claims that the central bank digital currency (CBDC) of Russia—the digital ruble—will be launched nationwide on September 1, 2026. The bank stated that the largest commercial banks in the country are expected to start offering their customers a full range of CBDC trading options beginning next September.

The statement previously issued by the Central Bank of Russia on this matter seems to indicate that the bank will order small and regional banks to take similar measures by September 2027.

The digital ruble was originally scheduled to be launched on July 1 of this year. However, the Central Bank of Russia suddenly postponed the launch of the digital ruble "indefinitely" in early March. The central bank initially did not announce any other timeline, shocking the public.

This has sparked a series of speculations that Moscow is preparing to abandon its central bank digital currency. Others believe that Moscow may delay the launch until at least 2027.

Some people predict that the Central Bank will seek an alternative to the digital ruble driven by cryptocurrency. They point out that the public and the banking sector's response to the digital ruble plan has not been enthusiastic.

However, the Russian state news agency TASS reported that some of the country's largest banks are looking forward to the launch.

A spokesperson for VTB, the Russian Foreign Trade Bank, stated that this large bank is technically ready. Meanwhile, the state-owned commercial bank Sovcombank has indicated that it will be "fully prepared" for customers to conduct digital ruble transactions before the Central Bank's stipulated deadline.

Two banks are currently collaborating with Moscow to launch a pilot project for the digital ruble. VTB Bank stated that it is "technically prepared" as the "first bank to join the pilot project."

The company added: "We hope to provide customers with the latest financial tools as soon as possible. We look forward to the digital ruble benefiting Russian citizens widely."