Wildberries and Ozon to start accepting digital rubles on September 1

Russia’s two biggest marketplaces are set to add the central bank digital currency (CBDC) to checkout from September 1, as the Bank of Russia pushes large businesses to support the third form of the national currency. For PSPs and acquirers working in Russia, the practical question is no longer whether digital ruble acceptance is coming, but how fast merchants and banks can wire it into existing payment flows.

1. Ozon said it will launch digital ruble acceptance in test mode from September, alongside its current payment methods. If the rollout goes smoothly, the company says the central bank currency will gradually become available to all platform customers.
2. Wildberries did not mention a test period. It said only that the platform will act “in accordance with the requirements of the Bank of Russia and applicable regulatory acts.”
3. From September 1, apps of all of Russia’s so-called systemically important banks — 12 institutions including Sber, T-Bank, VTB, and Alfa-Bank — must show a digital ruble button. Tapping it will let users open a digital wallet, according to Alla Bakina, director of the Bank of Russia’s National Payment System department.
4. Bakina also said the central bank will cap top-ups of a digital ruble wallet from a non-cash account at no more than 300,000 rubles per month.
5. Under the law, large retail chains with annual revenue above 120 million rubles must accept digital rubles from September. The authorities plan to extend the obligation to merchants with smaller turnover later.

The Bank of Russia has also outlined incentives to increase digital ruble usage: from January 1, 2027, commercial banks are promised compensation for each salary payment made by corporate clients to employees in digital rubles.