After Dolina's case: ban on cash payments in real estate transactions proposed in the State Duma

This is how buyers and sellers are trying to be protected from fraudsters

State Duma deputies are preparing a bill that could oblige all market participants — both citizens and businesses — to pay for real estate transactions exclusively by bank transfer. This was reported to RIA Novosti by the head of the State Duma Committee on the Financial Market, Anatoly Aksakov.

The initiative is directly related to the high-profile story of singer Larisa Dolina. In the summer of 2024, she stated that she had become a victim of fraudsters who forced her to sell an apartment in the center of Moscow and give them the money, but the buyer of the apartment was unaware of Dolina's deception by the scammers. This case, which reached the Supreme Court, revealed serious risks in the market and was dubbed the "Dolina scheme."

The interests of citizens will then be better taken into account. And there will be no deception, since there are a lot of abuses with the fact that transactions are carried out in cash.
Anatoly Aksakov, head of the State Duma Committee on the Financial Market

The bill has already been prepared and will be submitted for consideration in the near future, the parliamentarian stressed. If it is adopted, the new measure could come into force as early as the second half of 2026. The goal of the initiative is to increase the transparency of transactions and protect Russians from financial fraud.

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