The introduction of the digital ruble will allow trillions of rubles to be brought out of the shadows, said Sergey Ryabukhin, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Budget and Financial Markets.
According to the Central Bank, the mission of the digital ruble is to increase the transparency of monetary transactions and reduce criminal risks. According to the senator, the widespread use of digital currency will allow a significant part of the gray economy to be brought "into the light zone."
Ryabukhin cited examples from individual industries. According to official statistics, 12.5% of turnover in the tobacco sector is in the shadows, which is about 100 billion rubles. In the beer industry, the share of the illegal segment reaches 15%. He stressed that in these segments alone, the state is underreceiving hundreds of billions in tax revenues.
The senator paid special attention to shadow wages. According to estimates by the Academy of Labor and Social Relations, its total volume in Russia reaches from 3 to 5 trillion rubles per year.
Ryabukhin also supported the decision of the head of the Duma Committee on the Financial Market, Anatoly Aksakov, to receive a salary in digital rubles, noting resistance from the "criminal sector" of the economy.
President Vladimir Putin, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2025, stated that the state's task is to make the digital ruble a mass tool for citizens, enterprises and banks. The pilot project has been running for almost two years.
According to the plans of the government and the Central Bank, from October 1, 2025, the digital ruble will begin to be gradually introduced into the budget process: first, it will be used to pay part of the federal budget expenditures. From January 1, 2026, the digital currency is planned to be used for all budget payments.
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