Russian telecom giants prepare to accept digital ruble payments from Sept. 1

Russia’s MTS, Rostelecom and MegaFon have prepared to accept digital ruble payments from Sept. 1 as Russia begins the first mandatory stage of its nationwide central bank digital currency rollout. Summary MTS, Rostelecom and MegaFon are preparing to accept digital ruble payments from Sept. 1. MTS will support the CBDC across services integrated with MTS Pay, while Rostelecom will initially offer one time website payments. Russia’s Sept. 1 rollout will also require eligible large merchants and major banks to support digital ruble transactions. Wildberries and Ozon are also preparing to accept digital ruble payments from the same date. Vedomosti reported that the three major telecommunications operators are preparing their payment systems for the launch, with MTS offering digital ruble transactions across services connected to MTS Pay while Rostelecom and MegaFon work on their own integrations. MTS plans to make the payment option available without restricting it to particular products or services. Customers will initially be able to use digital rubles through the My MTS mobile app and the company’s online store, while other services using the MTS Pay payment module can also support ...