Russia's central bank reports sharp drop in detected drop accounts
Russian banks reported a significant decline in the number of detected drop accounts, with monthly detections falling to around 40,000 from 100,000, attributed to improved monitoring and regulatory measures. Meanwhile, deposits held by individuals in banks decreased by 0.2% in August, amounting to a 107 billion ruble outflow, linked to seasonal spending.
Consensus
- The number of detected drop accounts in Russian banks has significantly decreased, from 100,000 per month in 2025 to around 40,000 per month.
- The Bank of Russia has implemented new methodologies and online monitoring systems to detect and block drop accounts more quickly.
- The number of drop accounts used by minors has decreased, from 156,000 in January–June 2025 to 50,000 in January–June 2126.
- The share of drop accounts used by minors in the total has declined from 26% to 16%.
- The Bank of Russia reported a 0.2% decrease in individual deposits in August, amounting to approximately 100–107 billion rubles.
- The decline in deposits is attributed to seasonal spending on vacations and preparation for the school year.
- The volume of cash in circulation increased by 643.4 billion rubles in July, the highest monthly rise since early 2026.
- In August, the share of Russians who prefer keeping savings in bank accounts dropped to 36%, while those favoring cash rose to 37%.
Points of divergence
- The Bank of Russia reduced P2P transactions by more than three times since 2023 and by another 30% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. — interfax
- The Bank of Russia introduced a new methodology for detecting drop accounts and implemented online monitoring in cooperation with banks. — interfax
- Drop accounts now remain active in banks with effective control for only about one minute. — interfax
- The reduction in drop accounts is due to making their use economically unviable through rapid detection and blocking. — interfax
- The introduction of criminal liability for drop operators and parental consent requirements for minors' accounts contributed to the decline in underage drop accounts. — interfax
- Russian banks earned 440 billion rubles in net profit in August, a decrease of 3 billion rubles from July. — kommerant
- The banking sector's overall financial result was 436 billion rubles in August, driven by negative revaluation of securities. — kommerant
- The share of profitable banks rose from 94% in July to 99% in August. — kommerant
- Banks increased provisions by 27% in August, reaching 213 billion rubles, with 63 billion rubles allocated to corporate portfolios. — kommerant
- Operating expenses decreased by 20 billion rubles (-5%) in August. — kommerant
- The volume of funds held by individuals in banks in August decreased by 0.2%, or about 100 billion rubles, to 68.5 trillion rubles. — vedomosti
- Ruble balances decreased by 0.3% (200 billion rubles), current account balances by 0.5% (100 billion rubles), and term deposit balances by 0.1% (100 billion rubles). — vedomosti
Coverage (9 sources)
- Central Bank of Russia records a drop in the number of identified droppers by more than two times — Интерфакс
- Central Bank recorded the largest outflow of deposits from banks since mobilization — The Moscow Times
- Net profit of Russian banks fell to 440 billion rubles in August — Коммерсантъ
- Consumer credit in August grew by 1.7%, mortgage - by 0.5% — Интерфакс
- Volume of funds of physical persons in banks slightly decreased in August — Ведомости
- In Russia, banks increased corporate loans by 1.4% in August — Интерфакс
- In August, assets of legal entities in Russian banks grew by a significant 1.9% — Интерфакс
- Profit of Russian banks in August remained at the level of 440 billion rubles — Интерфакс
- The profit of the banking sector in August turned out to be slightly lower than the July result — Ведомости