Digital Ruble Coming to the Moscow Metro App
This summer, pilot testing of digital ruble payments is to begin in the Moscow Metro app. Users will be able to purchase transit passes and add funds to their Troika transit cards using Russia's central bank digital currency.
Initially, the new payment option will be available only to a limited group of pilot users. However, Maksim Liksutov, Moscow's Deputy Mayor for Transport and Industry, said that if testing is successful, all passengers using the Troika transit card will be able to top up their accounts with digital rubles.
Top-Ups Without Banking Details
The Troika card is used to pay fares across Moscow's public transportation network, including buses, the metro and electric river vessels. The card has already been used during earlier digital ruble pilot projects. The first trial, involving a focus group, took place in March 2025, when transactions were completed at ticket offices using QR codes. The new functionality expands citizens' payment options while strengthening payment security, as digital ruble transactions incorporate enhanced cybersecurity protections.
The integration of the digital ruble platform into Moscow's public transportation ecosystem is being carried out jointly with the Bank of Russia and VTB. The project serves as a practical test of the scalability of the national payment platform ahead of the broader rollout of the country's third form of national currency, scheduled to begin on September 1, 2026.
Economic Incentives
The potential scale of digital ruble adoption across public transportation can be illustrated by a single figure: in 2025, more than 9 million fare payments were made using the virtual Troika card in Moscow alone. Similar fare payment systems are already widely used by public transportation agencies in 20 Russian regions, making regional expansion of the new top-up option a logical next step. The economics may also encourage adoption, as the fee for accepting digital ruble payments has been set at 0.3%, potentially reducing payment processing costs for transit operators.
The maturity of Russia's integration technologies is also expected to support broader deployment of digital ruble transactions. The digital ruble platform, banking infrastructure, mobile application and transportation system have already been connected into a unified operating environment.
A New Form of Money Moves Through Pilot Testing
The digital ruble entered pilot use as a payment instrument in Russia in 2023. Over the following three years, it was tested for scholarship payments, government subsidies, payroll, payments for commercial services, including restaurants and metro fares, as well as dynamic QR code transactions and business-to-business transfers. Enabling remote digital wallet top-ups through the Moscow Metro app in 2026 represents the next logical step in that progression.
From Pilot Projects to Everyday User Adoption
Integration with Moscow's Troika card will enable digital ruble testing under conditions of high transaction volumes and heavy daily passenger traffic. Use of the digital ruble will remain entirely voluntary. However, if passengers find the payment method convenient, the pilot could help establish sustainable user adoption patterns. The IT sector will need to meet growing demand for solutions that integrate the digital ruble with municipal services and support highly resilient transaction processing, because beginning in September the digital ruble will become an integral part of the digital transformation of state and municipal services.
