Russia’s digital ruble lacks edge without offline feature, central bank says

Central bank deputy chairman Filipp Chistyukhin described being stuck 200 km outside Moscow with no signal: only cash worked. He noted that an offline mode, once promised, could have given the digital ruble a real advantage.

Public interest remains low. Surveys by Vyberu.ru and Evrokredit.ru found 46 % of Russians would consider using the CBDC only after it becomes widespread. The Bank of Russia’s own September poll showed cash as the top choice for storing money among 38 % of respondents.

Sber’s finance chief Taras Skvortsov said clients see little value in the digital ruble and that it mainly interests the central bank itself. In response, Vladimir Putin tasked Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Governor Elvira Nabiullina with better explaining its benefits.

Another deputy chair, Zulfiya Kakhramanova, confirmed plans to allow ATM withdrawals from digital wallets, though no timeline was given.

Based on information from cryptonews.net