The Central Bank of Russia has published an assessment of households’ and businesses’ satisfaction with payment services and, for the first time, calculated a digitalisation index for the national payment system. The new indicators add to its existing payment market monitoring tools and show that households are generally satisfied with modern payment services, while businesses report more limited satisfaction, particularly with settlement and cash management services. Households rated fast and seamless payment and transfer methods highly, especially those requiring minimal effort. At the same time, payments for utilities, education and public services were seen as less convenient because card payments require users to enter full card details and confirm transactions with a code. Businesses gave more moderate assessments overall. Areas of concern included limited understanding of banks’ tariff policies, unclear criteria for blocking or restricting transfers, and difficulties in making settlements with foreign counterparties. The digitalisation index is designed as a broad measure of payment market maturity, based on 15 components covering technology adoption, demand from businesses, the range and accessibility of payment services, and the security and continuity of infrastructure. The 2025 index reading will serve as the baseline for annual assessments of payment market dynamics. The Central Bank of Russia plans to discuss the results with market participants and use them to develop measures to improve the convenience, quality and transparency of payment services for households and businesses.

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