Digital ruble transactions in Russia fall under the “anti-money laundering” law

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law making digital ruble transactions subject to Federal Law No. 115, the Russian law on combating money laundering. The document has already been published on the official legal information portal and will come into force in June 2025.

According to the new regulations, all participants in the digital ruble system — individuals, legal entities, and sole proprietors — will undergo mandatory risk assessment for possible involvement in suspicious transactions. The Central Bank has the authority to assign users one of three categories: low, medium, or high risk. Users deemed high-risk face automatic account blocking and contract termination by the Central Bank. This gives the regulator the right to suspend transactions and access to digital assets for those suspected of laundering illegal funds.

In addition, banks and the Central Bank itself are required to transfer data on financial transactions to Rosfinmonitoring, the anti-money laundering service. Mandatory control applies to transfers of 1 million rubles and above, as well as any transactions that raise suspicions. Participants in the digital ruble platform — that is, commercial banks connected to the system — are prohibited from servicing clients on sanctions lists, as well as those whom the Central Bank has classified as high-risk.

Thus, the law establishes a strict mechanism of state control over the circulation of digital rubles, comparable to what operates in traditional banking operations. This allows regulators to monitor the movement of funds in real time, block suspicious transactions and interact with international counterparts in the exchange of information on financial crimes.