90% of citizens in Lipetsk, Russia, reject receiving salaries in digital rubles, citing lack of understanding and security concerns, despite government efforts to integrate the CBDC into the financial system.
Key Points
- A recent survey by recruitment agency HH indicates that 90% of people in Lipetsk Oblast, Western Russia, don’t want to receive salaries in digital rubles.
- Only 10% of respondents showed openness to the idea, with 11% among them willing to accept partial payment.
- Various concerns, including lack of understanding and fear of scams, contribute to the reluctance.
A recent survey conducted by recruitment agency HH revealed that the majority of citizens in the Lipetsk Oblast in Western Russia are not interested in receiving their salaries in digital rubles.
The survey found that 90% of respondents did not want to be paid in digital ruble tokens, while only 10% were open to the idea.
Of those who were open to it, 11% said they would accept partial payment in CBDC coins, as long as it was less than half of their salary.
JUST IN: According to Central Bank, 🇷🇺 Russians will be able to use the digital ruble in everyday payments in 2025.
— Coingraph | News (@CoingraphNews) September 19, 2023
Concerns and Doubts
According to the survey, 51% of workers in the Lipetsk Oblast stated that they were definitely not ready to switch to payments in digital rubles, while 38% were unsure about the coin.
The survey also revealed that many people did not understand how CBDCs work or how they could be used for payments.
Others expressed concerns about scams and high fees associated with digital currencies. Additionally, there was a general preference for cash over digital forms of money among 19% of the respondents.
Despite the overall lack of interest, some sectors in Lipetsk showed enthusiasm for the digital ruble.
Around 64% of workers in the administrative field and 60% of financial and accountancy professionals expressed a willingness to receive their salaries in CBDC tokens.
Furthermore, more than a quarter of marketing professionals stated that they wanted to be paid entirely in digital rubles.
Concluding Thoughts
These survey results reflect a broader trend seen in other studies, where most Russians have shown little interest or even concern regarding the Central Bank’s digital ruble project. Business leaders and banking associations have also expressed mixed feelings about the CBDC pilot.
However, some regional leaders have spoken positively about the coin, praising its offline payment features.
Despite these setbacks, the Central Bank has denied rumors of plans to force citizens to convert their fiat holdings to digital rubles and has stated that it does not intend to merge the project with biometric ID initiatives.
Additionally, lawmakers are nearing approval of a proposal to integrate the digital ruble with the country’s Tax Code.
The CBDC pilot was launched in mid-August in 11 cities across Russia.
