Many Russians fear the digital ruble will hurt financial freedom

Nearly half of Russian citizens consider the digital ruble merely a tool for government control over their finances, and almost as many fear the new form of national fiat will hurt financial freedom, in general.

Regular crypto usage is still relatively limited in Russia, which has yet to regulate it, although a fifth of the respondents in a new survey admit to having tried decentralized digital money at least several times.

Russians remain wary of the digital ruble

Almost half of the participants in a Russian poll (47%) believe the main purpose behind introducing a digital ruble is to allow the government in Moscow to exert stricter control over financial flows.

While two-thirds of Russians (65%) are aware of their country’s upcoming central bank digital currency (CBDC), 31% know virtually nothing about it, and the rest have no clear idea.

Over a quarter (26%) are convinced the new incarnation of the legal tender will boost the security of transactions, while another 25% insist this must be an inherent feature of any modern financial system.

More than a fifth of the respondents (22%) see the key reason for a state-issued coin in improving user convenience, while 18% cite an expected reduction in banking and business costs.

The findings in the recent study, conducted by the market analytics company Mar Consult, were quoted in a post published by the independent tech news portal Runet.

Alexander Novikov, director of research at Mar Consult, commented:

“The primary goal of introducing the digital ruble is perceived more as financial control than ensuring transaction security and user convenience. This perception may indicate a lack of trust in government initiatives.”

Confidence in the security of the digital ruble system is generally low, with only 36% of Russians convinced of the safety of the CBDC. Almost half, or 46%, have serious reservations.

Their biggest concerns include potential technical issues (43%), hacker attacks and leaks of sensitive data (39%), and government interference in personal finances (38%).

Four out of 10 participants declared they would not voluntarily share information about their transactions with the coin’s issuer, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR).

A significant portion of the polled are afraid the digital ruble comes with financial restrictions – 41% see it as limiting financial freedom, 30% don’t expect any major change, and just 7% think it will improve financial independence.

“The country’s financial regulators should increase public trust in their initiatives, including in the introduction of the digital ruble,” Novikov suggested, adding:

“What’s most important here, is to raise awareness of security measures and clearly explain the other benefits of the digital ruble.”

Respondents also marked some of the potential advantages of the CBDC, such as faster payments and transfers (40%), transparency (26%), ease of use (26%), savings on bank fees (25%), transaction security (22%), and instant refunds (17%).

The Bank of Russia has been testing the digital ruble for over two years in trials with a limited number of participants. Its launch for public use was initially planned for 2025, but then postponed by a year.

Following a call for mass adoption from President Putin this summer, the monetary authority set new dates for its gradual introduction, in stages starting on Sept. 1, 2026, as reported by Cryptopolitan.

Fifth of Russians used crypto more than once

Some 1,200 people, aged 18-64, have been contacted for the survey, carried out in October across Russia. The poll also covered general attitudes toward digital currency, including cryptocurrencies.

While it established that only 4% of the respondents use digital coins regularly, it also found that 19% have done so on more than one occasion. The majority never tried, but 7% plan to do it in the future.

Around 8% of wealthier Russians, with a monthly income of 200,000 rubles or more (roughly $2,500), use cryptocurrency regularly, which is well above the average.

“However, even in this group, 59% have never tried digital currencies. This indicates the low level of cryptocurrency penetration in everyday life,” Runet remarked in its report.

“The use of digital currencies in Russia remains a niche phenomenon,” concluded Mar Consult’s Alexander Novikov, who attributes the finding to either lack of trust or lack of necessity.

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