The country’s state-run social security fund has confirmed that Russian citizens have begun to inquire about pension payments using cryptocurrencies.
The agency reported this week on requests for information received over the past year, and one of the main topics listed included virtual currencies.
Russian citizens want to know if they can receive a crypto pension
People in the Russian Federation are increasingly interested in knowing whether paying their pensions in cryptocurrencies is a viable option.
This is according to Russia’s Pension and Social Insurance Fund (SFR), which shared on Telegram on Saturday some of the more unusual inquiries it received in 2025.
Less serious calls to the foundation’s single contact center included inquiries about the New Year’s Eve working hours of Father Frost, Russia’s equivalent of Santa Claus.
One of these was from a husband who wanted to know whether his wife would be entitled to a pension if she put up with him being in a bad mood.
Then someone begs a call center to remember their favorite musician’s full name and use that as their password.
Weirdness aside, modern trends are well reflected in citizens’ questions, and the government agency that runs the fund acknowledged it in a post about the popular Messenger.
Quoting Russian state news agency TASS, he emphasized:
“Many people have asked whether it is possible to receive their pension in cryptocurrencies and whether mining income will be taken into account when calculating social security.”
According to the Social Fund, a customer service specialist politely explained that currently all payments are made only in Russian rubles.
The agent also reminded callers that taxation of digital assets such as Bitcoin is entirely within the responsibility of the Federal Tax Service (FNS).
According to compiled statistical data, SFR received approximately 37 million calls in 2025, with a total of 500 million minutes of call time.
Although inquiries outside the social sphere have become more regular, most still focus on welfare, pension and maternity payments, the fund said.
Russia promotes digital ruble for pensions and salaries
As reported by Cryptopolitan, Russian authorities plan to properly regulate cryptocurrency transactions by July 2026, following a major change in Moscow’s attitude towards decentralized digital money last year.
In the spring of 2025, financial regulators proposed establishing a special legal regime for the use of digital coins in cross-border payments and cryptocurrency investments.
In December, the Bank of Russia said it wanted to replace the “experimental” agreement with a permanent and comprehensive regulatory framework for the market.
The new approach envisages the recognition of cryptocurrencies as “monetary assets,” but these are likely to remain unavailable for domestic payments. By law, the ruble remains the country’s only legal tender.
Russia is also preparing for the full-scale launch of a digital version of its national fiat currency this year, which will be implemented in several stages, with the first stage scheduled to begin in September.
In December of this year, the federal government approved a list of expenditures that can be financed using central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), which have been in development and testing for several years.
Among the budget payments that can be made using the new Russian ruble currency are social security transfers, including pensions, salaries and other payments in the public sector.
According to a notice issued by the Ministry of Finance, state-guaranteed coins issued by the Bank of Russia will be used for such transfers only at the explicit request of the respective recipient.
