The average total cost of credit for credit cards intended for individuals in Russia reached 50.38% in January 2026, reports Reuters, citing data from the Unified Credit Bureau (OKB).
The level of over 50% is maintained for the second consecutive month and represents a record since at least 2021, the period for which statistical data is available. Compared to January 2025, the average total cost of credit increased by almost 8 percentage points, even though the key rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation decreased in the same interval from 21% to 15.5%.
In the first half of last year, card interest rates were around 44%, and in the second half they climbed to 48% and above, said the general director of OKB, Mihail Aleksin.
Despite high interest rates, Russians opened 14.59 million credit cards last year, with a total limit of 1.7 trillion rubles (approximately 18.7 billion euros). The total number of credit card users in Russia has reached 28 million people.
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