Over the past few years, the number of banks and credit institutions in Russia has been decreasing. This process is due to the influence of several main factors - the tightening of legal requirements for capital and regulatory reporting, the activation of supervisory authorities, the growth of competition and the consolidation of the industry.
Many banks have disappeared from the banking market, some have become part of larger competitors, and others continue to patch holes in the balance sheet. This is not surprising - the banking sector is increasingly affected by a shortage of liquidity. Meanwhile, the requirements for the minimum amount of equity capital continue to grow. So, from January 1, 2012 this figure will be increased to 180 million rubles. So far, only 78% of the current market participants meet this requirement. For new institutions in 2012 the bar will be raised to 300 million rubles, and in 2015 this minimum capital amount will apply to all existing banks. It is not surprising that in this situation, they either close or merge with more powerful structures. To stay afloat and comply with the requirements of the law, banks are forced to significantly limit the borrowing of funds. This trend can be clearly seen in the rise in mortgage prices. Faced with the problem of a shortage of cheap money, banks decided to play it safe and limit home lending programs, switching to short-term consumer loans. They also began to refuse loans to people with a “gray salary” more often. The salary bar for a potential client has also increased. The liquidation of banks was also affected by the instability in the world market in connection with the debt crisis in the euro area, and the slowdown in economic development in Russia. In addition, Russian banks are accustomed to borrowing money from their foreign counterparts at low interest rates rather than earning it by investing in production or playing on the securities market, and more recently, the availability of external funding has decreased. The instability of the euro has affected currency exchange. Banks began to close some of the exchange offices. This practice especially widely affected Belarus and Ukraine. Also, to hedge the non-payment of debts, banks began to repeat the practice of 2008 and reduce the limits on credit cards of clients who lost their jobs and became unreliable for them.
