Connecting a small bank to the digital ruble platform actually costs between 25 and 31 million rubles. The credit institutions themselves had previously cited figures several times higher — up to 100 million rubles. It is precisely this gap between the regulator's estimate and the actual costs borne by market participants that is becoming the key point of tension in the introduction of the new form of the national currency.
The estimate of 25–31 million rubles was prepared by the FinTech Association together with banks. The regulator considers it entirely realistic: the final sum depends on how the IT infrastructure of a particular bank is structured and how much of it will need to be modified.
The digital ruble platform is a system of the Bank of Russia through which all operations with the new form of money pass. Banks connect their applications to it so that clients can open digital wallets and make payments.
Why the estimates diverge
According to preliminary data from the regulator, banks most often overstate the costs of connection. The reason is incorrect interpretation of the established rules and standards of the Bank of Russia. At the same time, market participants insisted on a sum of up to 100 million rubles.
For a small bank, this is very serious money. Konstantin Borodulin, Managing Director of Financial Institution Ratings at the National Rating Agency, estimated the costs of implementing and servicing the new infrastructure in the first year at approximately 100 million rubles. For a bank in the second hundred by size, this is up to 10% of capital or two to three annual profits.
Even the sum that the regulator considers realistic will take from half to almost all of such a credit institution's annual profit.
How to save on connection
"Boxed" solutions, which several IT vendors are already developing, will help reduce costs. These are ready-made products that do not require writing from scratch — in particular, adapters and remote banking systems (mobile and internet banking). According to the regulator, banks using such products noted that with the release of new versions of the software, connection became cheaper and faster.
The second way is cloud infrastructure. Some vendors offer turnkey solutions based on it. Further development of this area is linked to the adopted law on IT outsourcing and cloud services for financial organizations.
Rules and timelines for connection
The mass launch of the digital ruble took place on September 1. Under the law signed in July 2025, the obligation to work with it arises for market participants in stages:
- first — the largest banks and trading companies with revenue for the previous year of more than 120 million rubles;
- by September 1, 2027 — banks with a universal license and their clients with annual revenue of more than 30 million rubles;
- by September 1, 2028 — the remaining banks and sellers with revenue of less than 30 million rubles per year.
At present, 36 banks have connected to the platform. Of these, 21 did so as required by law, and another 15 voluntarily. Users have opened 270,000 accounts, 15,000 of which belong to legal entities and individual entrepreneurs.
The platform continues to gain new functions. By the end of November, a subscription service will go live on it, and in 2027 the regulator will test offline payments.
Cryptalist analysis: The gap between the regulator's estimate (25–31 million rubles) and the actual expectations of banks (up to 100 million rubles) reflects a fundamental problem in the introduction of state digital currencies — the uncertainty of integration costs for small players. For banks in the second hundred, expenses amounting to two to three annual profits create real pressure on capital and may accelerate consolidation in the sector. The market will have to watch how much "boxed" and cloud solutions actually reduce costs and whether the digital ruble will turn into a factor of inequality between large and small credit institutions.