Russians Take Record Number of Retail Loans in August in Two Years

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In August 2026, Russian citizens took out 4.36 million retail loans, the highest number in two years, according to data from the United Credit Bureau. Compared to July, the number of loans increased by 7%, and compared to August 2025, it jumped by 23%.

The total amount of retail loans issued in August reached 1.26 trillion rubles, up 6% from the previous month and 12% year-on-year. In August 2025, banks lent 1.13 trillion rubles to individuals.

Cash loans still dominate the lending structure, but their share fell from 40.8% in July to 38.9% in August.

Mortgages accounted for 31.5% of all loans, up from 30.4% the previous month. The share of auto loans rose from 13.8% to 14.5%. Credit cards maintained their share at 13.7%, while POS loans (loans taken directly at points of sale) increased from 1.3% to 1.4%.

For comparison, a year earlier, mortgages made up 35.1% of the market, cash loans 32.7%, and both credit cards and auto loans each had a share of 15.4%.

Russians borrowed 8.9 trillion rubles in eight months

From January to August 2026, banks issued 30.12 million retail loans totaling 8.90 trillion rubles. The average monthly volume was about 1.11 trillion rubles.

Compared to the same period in 2025, the number of loans increased by 28%, and their total amount by 36%. In the first eight months of 2025, banks issued 23.52 million loans worth 6.53 trillion rubles.

Moscow remains the leader in loan volume

In August, Moscow was the largest regional credit market: capital residents took out 309,030 loans worth 139.68 billion rubles. Compared to July, the number of loans increased by 6%, and the volume by 5%.

In the Moscow region, 259,910 loans worth 100.04 billion rubles were issued, in St. Pyotrsburg — 159,720 loans worth 65.95 billion rubles. In the Krasnodar region, banks issued 180,580 loans worth 43.80 billion rubles, and in the Sverdlovsk region — 144,640 loans worth 41.84 billion rubles.

The highest credit activity over eight months was recorded in Chukotka, Nenets and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Districts, Sakhalin region, Altai Republic, and Kamchatka region. In these regions, more than 30 new loans were taken out per 100 residents since the beginning of the year.

The lowest indicator was seen in Chechnya and Ingushetia, with fewer than three new loans per 100 residents.