MINSK, 27 February (BelTA) – Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB) Roman Golovchenko explained how the introduction of the digital Belarusian ruble advances during a joint session of both chambers of the Belarusian parliament on 27 February, BelTA has learned.
Roman Golovchenko noted: “We are moving forward with the introduction of the digital Belarusian ruble. Measures have already been taken to develop specialized software and prepare the regulatory framework. The use of the digital Belarusian ruble offers a number of advantages to citizens and businesses, including reduced costs for cross-border payments and the ability to use smart contracts to automate transactions. On the whole, the introduction of the digital ruble will increase the technological sovereignty of the payment system and create additional opportunities for making payments in the digital national currencies of friendly countries.”
The payment services market continues developing in Belarus. 2025 saw 24 new providers gain access to the provision of payment services. As of 1 January 2026 a total of 111 organizations were listed in the provider registry.
Operated and settled by the National Bank, the instant payment system is actively developing. “This technology allows transferring money between accounts in different banks almost instantly, around the clock and without days off. This system makes financial transactions faster, more convenient, and more reliable. Funds become available in seconds with instant payments. It also speeds up the turnover of funds for enterprises, which provides significant support to businesses and e-commerce. In 2025, transactions to the tune of about Br15 billion were carried out in this system, which is more than a third higher than in 2024,” the chairman of the National Bank’s Board emphasized.
A special service KROK [step in Belarusian] has been introduced in the ERIP payment system to enable the population to make instant payments using QR codes. “The service is unique in that it completely eliminates the use of payment cards by working directly with accounts. Payments are made in real time 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The money is instantly credited to the recipient’s account without intermediaries. Banks are gradually connecting to this system. As from 1 December 2026, all banks will participate in such payments,” Roman Golovchenko informed.
When providing online loans to customers, banks actively used authentication based on biometric personal data. It allows banks not only to increase the speed and the comfort of service, but also to minimize credit risks.
The system of non-cash transactions for retail payments has also seen further growth. As of 1 January 2026 the number of payment cards issued by banks exceeded 20 million. The Belkart payment system showed good dynamics, with the share of issued cards increasing by more than 12% in 2025. At present the Belkart Pay mobile app for contactless payments is available to cardholders of 20 banks. In 2025 the number of users increased by almost a quarter.
As a result, the share of non-cash transactions in retail trade turnover increased to 64.2% in 2025 (an increase of 3.4 percentage points).
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