In recent years, the number of commercial banks in Russia has been steadily declining. According to experts, soon there will be only four hundred credit institutions in the country, while in January 2018 there were just over five hundred. It can be assumed that changes in the structure of the banking sector will primarily affect banks with a relatively small authorized capital.
The state continues to revoke licenses from those credit institutions that endanger the interests of clients and regularly fail to comply with laws regulating banking activities.
One of the reasons for revoking the license is the inconsistency of the bank's own funds with the established standards. At the beginning of 2018, only three hundred banks had authorized capital sufficient to obtain a universal or basic license. There has been a tendency to close or merge with other banks relatively small credit institutions that have fallen into the "risk zone".
Small banks, striving to maintain their banking status, are forced to merge to increase capital. To this merger is added the takeover of smaller banks by larger ones. Another possible way is self-liquidation, the closure of small banks in connection with their bankruptcy and the impossibility of fulfilling the requirements of the Bank of Russia in terms of the size of the authorized capital. In some cases, the liquidation of banks will be compulsory, by a court decision.
Experts note that the processes of merger, liquidation and self-liquidation, takeover of banks are ongoing. But if the Bank of Russia raises the bar on the minimum allowable amount of authorized capital, the number of such transformations will increase dramatically.
Experts disagree on the significance of this trend. The experience of the world banking system shows that banks, even with small capital, which operate exclusively within the framework of the law, can develop steadily. For example, in Switzerland, small in size, both large and small banks coexist quietly, of which there are an unusually large number. At the same time, there is enough work and clients in this country for all banking institutions.
One of the problems associated with the capital's small banks is their participation in illegal cash-out operations. However, most of the small credit institutions in the regions are not noticed in such violations, since their activities are in full view of everyone. The priority area of small banking business is serving its founders. Local businessmen are concerned about the safety of their finances, so they prefer to keep money and financial information in their own bank. Making a profit is not the main goal for such banks, which are often called "pocket" in the business world. In such credit institutions, abuses are much less common.
One of the possible solutions to the problem of small banks, the Central Bank of Russia considers the creation of a completely new type of credit institution - the so-called regional bank. This category may well include banks with a narrow range of transactions. They will be able to effectively serve private clients, small and medium-sized businesses in specific regions. The fate of the rest of the small banks is likely to be decided rather harshly.
It should be noted that the majority of banks are located in the European part of Russia. There are very few regional banking institutions beyond the Urals, although it is here that the main wealth of the country is located.
