Professions of the digital ruble. Part One. Smart contracts for everyone?

Given the optimistic (and sometimes pessimistic) fog surrounding the digital ruble project, experts increasingly disagree on why the government, business, and society might need the Russian CBDC, and what tasks it cannot solve. Alexey Voylukov, Program Director of the PLUS Forum, Editor and Member of the PLUS Journal Expert Council, MBA professor of business practice in digital finance at the Presidential Academy (RANEPA), shares his vision of the matter. Today, we begin a series of publications dedicated to the real potential (and shortcomings) of the digital ruble – as they are seen at the end of 2025.

Given the optimistic (and sometimes pessimistic) fog surrounding the digital ruble project, experts increasingly disagree on why the government, business, and society might need the Russian CBDC, and what tasks it cannot solve. Alexey Voylukov, Program Director of the PLUS Forum, Editor and Member of the PLUS Journal Expert Council, MBA professor of business practice in digital finance at the Presidential Academy (RANEPA), shares his vision of the matter. Today, we begin a series of publications dedicated to the real potential (and shortcomings) of the digital ruble – as they are seen at the end of 2025.