QIWI Bank, part of the QIWI group, announced a milestone in its press service: the first financial transfer in digital rubles to SOS Children’s Villages, a charity aiding orphans and families in need. The announcement notes that prior to the initial donation, the bank was testing person-to-person transfers with digital rubles to ensure a smooth operation when philanthropy comes into play.
In the pilot’s scope, on August 15, a C2B transfer in digital rubles was completed, with QIWI Bank among the early adopters launching the capability to conduct such transactions. The bank highlighted a streamlined process in which users opened a digital ruble account via the bank’s mobile app, transferred funds from their QIWI Wallet into that account, and then sent charitable contributions to SOS Children’s Villages by scanning the QR code provided by the bank’s partner.
Maria Shevchenko, the chairperson of QIWI Bank’s board, stated that all services are functioning normally and that transactions are progressing successfully. She emphasized that the bank had prepared for the testing phase, facing no obstacles in handling real digital rubles, and that the volume and frequency of operations would gradually grow over time.
Nikolai Slabzhanin, executive director of SOS Children’s Villages, recalled nearly three decades of effort to address social orphanhood in Russia. He underscored the charity’s commitment to staying current with technological and social trends. Slabzhanin explained that participating in the digital ruble test helps refine the process for transferring charitable funds in digital form and is aligned with the charity’s mission to expand support through diverse payment channels. He noted that more than 45,000 philanthropists currently contribute via various methods and that the collaboration with digital rubles could attract new benefactors who prefer modern, tech-enabled giving methods.
The rollout comes as the digital ruble law had already taken effect on August 1 in Russia. By August 15, real transactions with digital rubles began for individuals and businesses in pilot mode, marking a significant step in the government-backed currency’s integration into everyday financial activity and charitable giving. The test by QIWI Bank and SOS Children’s Villages represents a practical application of digital ruble transfers in the social sector, illustrating how digital currencies can facilitate rapid, transparent donations to humanitarian causes.