In the first half of 2025, the Bank of Russia reported a rise in complaints from financial consumers and investors, totaling 182,400 cases. This represents an 18.6% increase compared to the same period in 2024. However, on a quarterly basis, there was nearly a 7% decrease in complaints between April–June and January–March.
Complaints against banks saw a notable increase of 28.6%. The majority were related to the blocking of transactions, accounts, and bank cards, as well as suspension of remote banking services. According to the Bank of Russia, these measures are typically implemented by banks to counteract financial fraud.
There was also a significant decline in complaints regarding tied selling of additional services by lenders.
The number of complaints against insurers fell sharply by 47%. This drop is attributed to customers now being able to independently check and dispute their bonus-malus coefficient via the National Insurance Information System website. As a result, standard complaints decreased from 10,400 in the first half of 2024 to just 80 in the same period this year.
Complaints against microfinance organizations rose slightly by 3.6%, mainly due to issues with refunds for additional services and challenges applying for repayment holidays. Fewer complaints were recorded about new instances of tied selling or credit history problems.
For professional securities market participants, complaint numbers declined by 19%. Complaints related specifically to sanction restrictions also dropped significantly: those against brokers decreased more than threefold while those against depositories fell by two-and-a-half times.
Non-governmental pension funds (NPFs) received 17.7% more complaints because of claims associated with executing long-term savings agreements. Despite this percentage increase, only 193 complaints were filed out of over 5.6 million agreements signed. Additionally, there was a sharp reduction—by over forty percent—in complaints about transitions from the Social Fund of Russia to NPFs or between different NPFs.
"Over the first six months of 2025, the number of complaints received by the Bank of Russia from financial consumers and investors increased by 18.6% compared to 2024 H1, totalling 182,400."
"Nevertheless, quarterly dynamics show a decrease in the number of complaints. In April—June 2025 it was down by almost 7% compared to January—March."
"The number of complaints against banks rose by 28.6%. They mainly concerned the blocking of transactions, accounts and bank cards as well as the suspension of remote banking services. Banks take such measures to counter financial fraud."
"However consumers complained half as much about tied selling of additional services by lenders."
"The number of complaints against insurers dropped by 47%. Due to the fact that customers may independently check the value of the bonus-malus coefficient and disagree with it via the National Insurance Information System website people almost stopped submitting standard complaints: 80 vs 10,400 in 2024 H1."
"The number of complaints against microfinance organisations increased insignificantly. The 3.6% rise was due to difficulties with having funds for additional services returned and with applying for repayment holidays. There were fewer complaints relating to new cases
of tied selling
of additional services as well as
to credit histories."
"The situation with complaints against professional securities market participants was similar.
Their number dropped by
19%.
The number
of
complaints related
to sanction restrictions was
the lowest,
namely those against brokers decreased by
3.
2 times,
while those against depositories – by
2.
5 times."
"There were
17.
7%
more
complaints
against non-governmental pension funds (NPFs)
due
to
the increasing number
of claims associated with
the execution
of long-term savings agreements.
However,
in absolute terms,
the number
of such complaints was insignificant,
namely
193 for over
5.
6 million agreements signed.
The number
of complaints concerning
the transition from
the Social Fund
of Russia
to an NPF,
as well as between NPFs,
fell by
40.
3%.
"