Only 17% of Russians Willing to Store More Than $200 in CBDC

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• 58% of Russians are willing to store money in a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
• Only 17% would trust the digital ruble with more than $212.
• The most common hindrances include insufficient information about the technology and cybertheft concerns.

Survey Results

A survey conducted by Saint Petersburg Exchange and the Russian Trading System (RTS) revealed that more than half of surveyed citizens aged 18–65 are willing to put their money into a central bank digital currency (CBDC). However, when it comes to storing more than 20,000 rubles (roughly $212), only 17% trust the digital ruble.

Amounts Willing To Be Stored In CBDC

The majority of respondents (23.8%) are willing to transfer 5,000 ($53) to 20,000 rubles ($212) into digital money. 9% of respondents can imagine storing 20,000–50,000 rubles ($212–$529) in the CBDC, 2% up to 100,000 rubles ($1,058). As for all their money being stored in CBDC only 2.4% responded positively.

Hindrances To Using CBDC

The most common hindrances cited include insufficient information about the technology (22%) and concerns about cybertheft and system failures (21%).

Pilot Tests Of Digital Rubles In Russia

Russia began testing operations with digital rubles on Aug 15th involving 13 banks and a restricted group of clients focusing on key processes including establishing/funding accounts, facilitating transactions between individuals & automated payments as well as QR codes for purchase/service transactions.

Conclusion

The Bank of Russia has a strategy in place aiming to bring the digital ruble into widespread use by 2025–2027 but much will depend on how people respond to it given their reservations over information security & cybertheft threats.