Digital Ruble Comes to Marketplaces as Wildberries and Ozon Prepare for Launch
Starting Sept. 1, Wildberries and Ozon will begin accepting payments in digital rubles. Users of the marketplaces will be able to open digital wallets directly on their platforms, with a button bearing a dedicated logo appearing in the marketplace apps.
Companies with annual revenue above 120 million rubles (about $1.4 million) are required by law to begin accepting digital-ruble payments this fall. Wildberries and Ozon, both among the businesses covered by the requirement, have confirmed they are ready to work with the new form of Russia’s national currency.
Getting the Systems Ready
Integrating the platforma tsifrovogo rublya (Digital Ruble Platform) into ecosystems that handle peak transaction loads requires upgrades to IT infrastructure. Marketplaces will need their apps to interact with the payment infrastructure while maintaining resilience across millions of transactions. Payment gateways, antifraud modules and information security systems must work seamlessly and efficiently so customers can continue using familiar checkout flows. Judging by company statements, the necessary systems are already in place, although additional fine-tuning will take time. Wildberries and Ozon will therefore initially make digital-ruble payments available to a limited group of users. Representatives of one of the companies, Ozon, said it “will begin accepting the digital ruble in test mode alongside other payment methods on Sept. 1 and will gradually extend the option to all customers.”
The advantages of Russia’s digital currency for sellers are clear: faster settlement and substantial savings on transfer and acquiring fees. A grace period also remains in effect through the end of this year, during which no fees at all are charged on digital-ruble transactions. For individuals, all digital-ruble transactions will be free, and whether to use the currency remains entirely their choice.
Digital Ruble Advantages
Within days, Russia’s largest banks will be required to give their customers access to the digital ruble. “All 12 systemically important banks, which account for more than 80% of the payments market, are ready as of Sept. 1 to give their customers the ability to open digital-ruble accounts and conduct transactions with them,” said Alla Bakina, director of the Bank of Russia’s National Payment System Department.
Large businesses are also required by law to accept digital-ruble payments beginning Sept. 1. Beyond lower acquiring costs, Russia’s digital currency offers another advantage that could be particularly valuable to e-commerce platforms. The digital ruble is “smart money.” Its potential to automate payment conditions tied to delivery, returns or confirmation of product quality could enable scenarios unavailable with conventional payments.
Another promising area is cross-border settlement. The Bank of Russia is discussing integration of the Digital Ruble Platform with BRICS countries, potentially paving the way for independent international payments using CBDCs, or central bank digital currencies. “We are discussing possible approaches with a number of foreign partners. But given the sensitivity of the subject, we are not disclosing details,” Bakina said.
From Testing to Rollout
The Bank of Russia said that more than 130 financial institutions are currently connecting to the Digital Ruble Platform, including smaller banks that see access to it as a competitive advantage.
When the pilot for Russia’s digital national currency launched in 2023, 13 banks and several hundred users joined the project. They tested basic transfers and QR-code payments. The experiment expanded in 2024, bringing merchants on board alongside banks, with 1,200 companies testing B2B transfers in digital rubles. In 2025, Russia adopted legislation providing for a phased rollout of the digital ruble through 2028. The first mass-market stage begins in September 2026: All systemically important banks will allow customers to open digital wallets and move funds through them, while service and retail companies with annual revenue above 120 million rubles (about $1.4 million) will be required to accept digital-ruble payments.
Entering the Mass-Market Phase
CBDC technology is moving beyond banking experiments and into everyday e-commerce. The announced rollout of digital-ruble payments on Wildberries and Ozon signals readiness for mass adoption. Over the next three years, convenience, security and economic benefits could make the national digital currency as widely used as cashless payments in conventional rubles. “There will be no fees for individuals, and all transactions will be free. For businesses, fees have been set at minimal levels compared with current bank charges for comparable transactions,” Bakina emphasized.
Building a domestic mass-payment infrastructure operated by the Bank of Russia strengthens the country’s financial and technological sovereignty.
