According to Central bank of the Russian Federation, the total number of potentially problem Russian banks recently increased three times and exceeded 150.
According to results of “Levada Analytical Center” (“Levada-Center”) survey, 58% Russians don’t have and don’t intend to set up bank account, and 50% Russians are not interestedto get and use banking card.
Banks gained about RUR10 billion from fines for credit delinquency in 2008. Home Credit and Finance Bank (HCF Bank) got most of all – RUR2.43 billion, Sberbank, Russian Standard Bank and VTB – RUR2 billion each, VTB24 – RUR703 million.
Experts of Interstate Statistical Committee of the CIS came to conclusion, that the least influence of the global financial crisis is in Azerbaijan compared to all CIS countries.
In spite of the fact that cost of new offices opening significantly reduced, Russian banks which extensively developed networks in 2008, begin to wind down retail business.
According to National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), first time during last 7 years the total number of active payment cards reduced by 2.586 mln while the number of consumers using banking cards grew by 1.509 mln in 2008.
NXP, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, today announced that the Moscow underground is the world’s first public transport system to run a 100% contactless automatic fare collection (AFC) system based on MIFARE technology.
As the chairman of Central Bank of Russia Sergey Ignatev declared at the meeting on economic questions with Dmitry Medvedev, President of Russia, the situation in Russian banking sector in December, 2008 was stabilized.
Rosbank announced about ambitions Bank’s plans to create nationwide ATM network in Russia. This project started on autumn 2008, when Rosbank integrated its ATM network of over 1 500 devices, with Uniastrum Bank’s network of 670 ATMs.
On December, 26th, the Protocol of cooperation between Association of the Russian banks (ARB) and Association of Russian members of EUROPAY (REMA) has been signing in Moscow. The Protocol specifies close cooperation between ARB and REMA in their activity for development of cashless payments.
Expert RA rating agencyand the National Agency for Financial Studies (NAFI)) presented data of their joint research project «Market of bank deposits: modern state and consumer preferences».
According to Alexander Turbanov, Director General of Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA), DIA has allocated 71 billion rubles for readjustment of Russian problem banks. 6.4 billion rubles out of the above sum are a part of the 200 billion rubles allocated to DIA from the federal budget for expansion of its functions (alongside with the deposit insurance function DIA got the powers for readjustment of the problem banks). The money came to DIA account at the end of November, 2008.
On December 12, 2008, Supreme Rada of Ukraine adopted law №3343 «On amendments to certain acts of Ukraine (concerning prohibition for banks to change unilaterally the terms of bank deposit and credit contracts)».
According to TransUnion.com agency, in the third quarter of 2008, the volume of debts on credit cards in the USA grew by 6 % in comparison with 2007, and by 1.6 % in comparison with the second quarter of 2008, and on average amounted to 5 710 US dollars. A nonpayment coefficient on at least one card account increased by 5.8 % in annual terms. In the third quarter the level of non-payments grew by 1.1 % compared with the same period of 2007 and by 4.8 % in comparison with the previous period.
According to a forecast of ComNews Research Company, in the 4th quarter of 2008, the global financial crisis will slow down the gain growth rates of the cellular telecom companies in Russia and CIS countries. A major factor of the changing growth dynamics will be not a decrease in the consumption of services, but «washing out» of the operators’ incomes.
An original protection against ATM swindlers was invented in Japan. According to Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun, the country’s police begin an experiment with installation of systems for suppression of GSM- and CDMA-signals in ATMs installed in streets, railway stations and airports. Due to the cellular «suppressors» the banks and police hope to make useless the equipment for interception and transmission of financial data of the cardholders to malefactors.
In January-November, 2008, the total amount of the deposits of physical persons in the Belarus banks (including money of non-residents, savings certificates and bonds) increased by almost 2.8 trillion Br (1.3 million US dollars), or by 25.7 %, and at the beginning of December exceeded 13.6 trillion Br (6.2 million US dollars).
