The difficulties of perception and the risks of introducing the digital ruble: a practice-oriented aspect

Abstract

The emergence of the digital currency of the Bank of Russia did not come as a surprise. The regulator announced this project more than four years ago, which was reflected in the report in October 2020. The national digital currency, or digital ruble, supplemented the current forms of money, which were previously represented by two categories - cash and non-cash. The regulator has repeatedly noted the need not only to introduce digital currency, but also to quickly adapt it among the population and businesses. Representatives of the Bank of Russia emphasized that the new form of national currency will both speed up payment turnover and make it simpler and much safer. Many advantages were also announced for businesses, including not only optimization of business processes, but also simplification of interaction with partners, reduction of costs in transactions and acquiring. More than a year ago, the digital ruble was launched into use in test mode, and was also enshrined in law in the relevant regulatory act. In this regard, the authors of this article conducted a study, the purpose of which was to determine the degree of understanding by the population and businesses of the meaning and features of using the digital ruble. The obtained results made it possible to conclude that potential consumers of the introduced national digital currency have rather limited and vague ideas about its potential and possibilities for effective use.