Odaily Planet Daily News: A bill has been submitted to the State Duma of Russia aimed at mandating banks and merchants to use the digital ruble, while implementing a universal QR code payment system. The bill is led by a group of senators and deputies, including Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the Duma's Financial Markets Committee, and has been officially submitted to the electronic database of the lower house. The proposal outlines a phased rollout of the digital ruble, starting on July 1, 2025, initially for systemically important banks (banks critical to the stability of the national economy), expanding to all banks by 2027. Merchants must also accept the digital ruble to encourage public usage. By July 2025, businesses with annual revenues exceeding 30 million rubles must enable digital ruble payments, and by July 2026, the threshold will drop to 20 million rubles. Businesses in areas without mobile or internet access are exempt from this requirement. The bill, in conjunction with the universal QR code system, simplifies the payment process for seamless usage of the digital ruble. Amendments to consumer protection laws require merchants to comply with regulations, ensuring broader adoption. Furthermore, credit institutions and foreign bank branches participating in this platform are obligated to support these transactions.