The role of the digital ruble in the development of the national payment system and the reduction of business transaction costs

The article examines the digital ruble as a new form of the Russian national currency and as an element of the national payment system infrastructure. The purpose of the study is to identify the mechanisms through which the digital ruble may reduce business transaction costs and to determine the limits of this effect. The article argues that the economic effect of the digital ruble is associated not only with payment fees, but also with settlement procedures, the moment of fulfilment of payment obligations, payment interface unification and reduced dependence of merchants on the traditional acquiring model. At the same time, the digital ruble does not eliminate all payment costs, since businesses will still bear expenses related to technological integration, accounting adaptation and operational risk management. The conclusion is that the digital ruble may reduce costs mainly under conditions of large-scale adoption and interoperability with existing payment services.