Digital Ruble Becomes a Threat to Banks: Financial Institutions May Lose Up to 20% of Deposit Funds

The introduction of the digital ruble could lead to an outflow of deposits from banks by up to 20%, according to analysts at the Higher School of Economics. In their opinion, Russians may prefer the new form of money due to its security and free transfers. This is reported by journalists.

Analysts claim that the most vulnerable will be small financial organizations, which could lose up to 0.8 billion rubles for every 1 billion digital rubles, while large banks will face a loss of about 0.3 billion.

The analysis shows that the effect of the outflow of funds will depend on the size of the credit institution. Small banks are more sensitive to the spread of the digital ruble, while large ones are less susceptible to this risk. However, as assured by the press service of the Central Bank, the authorities are taking measures to minimize possible risks.

The digital ruble, which will be issued by the Bank of Russia, will be exchanged for cash and non-cash funds in a 1:1 ratio. The mass launch of the digital ruble has been postponed to next year. Problem banks with high overdue loans will be most vulnerable to the outflow of deposits, as customers may fear losing funds in the event of a license revocation.

Experts emphasize that the process of transitioning to the new form of money will be gradual, which will give banks time to adapt. They also recommend that the Central Bank consider introducing support measures for financial organizations most at risk of deposit outflows.

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