Press-releases

Timed to 250th anniversary of Bolshoi Theatre (26.03.2026)

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:15:00 +0300

The Bolshoi Theatre was originally established as a private theatre. On 28 March 1776, Empress Catherine II granted Prince Pyotr Urusov the privilege ‘to be the owner of all theatrical performances in Moscow’, and this day is considered to be the date of the foundation of the Bolshoi Theatre.

Today, the Bolshoi Theatre is the world-known centre of opera and ballet arts. It is the venue where Russian national opera was created, and the music by great composers Mikhail Glinka, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, and Sergei Rachmaninoff was performed. The Bolshoi Theatre is where Marius Petipa choreographed the magnificent Don Quixote, while the ballets Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker have become hallmarks of Russian ballet.

On 27 March 2026, the Bank of Russia issues commemorative coins ‘The 250^th Anniversary of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia’ of the Historical Events series timed to the anniversary of the theatre:

– a 25-ruble silver coin (Catalogue No. 5115-0169), and

– a 100-ruble gold coin (Catalogue No. 5217-0051).

The 25-ruble silver coin (fine metal content 155.5 g, fineness 925/1,100) has a round shape and is 60.0 mm in diameter. The 100-ruble gold commemorative coin (fine metal content 15.55 g, fineness 999/1,000) has a round shape and is 30.0 mm in diameter.

The obverse and the reverse of the coins have a relief rim around the circumference.

The obverse of the coins features a relief image of the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation and the inscriptions ‘РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ’ (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) and ‘БАНК РОССИИ’ (BANK OF RUSSIA), the denomination of the coin ‘25 РУБЛЕЙ’ (25 RUBLES) or ‘100 РУБЛЕЙ’ (100 RUBLES), the year of issue ‘2026 г.’ (2026), the chemical symbol of the metal according to Mendeleev’s Periodic Table of Elements, fineness, the Saint Petersburg Mint trademark, and fine metal content.

The reverse of:

– the 25-ruble coin features a relief image of a dancing ballet couple against the background of the images of the building of the Bolshoi Theatre and spotlights, laser treated for matte finishing, and the inscription ‘БОЛЬШОЙ ТЕАТР’ (BOLSHOI THEATRE) around the lower circumference.

The edge of the coin is corrugated.

The coin is minted in proof quality.

The mintage of the coin is 1.5 thousand pcs;

– the 100-ruble coin features a relief image of a dancing ballerina against the background of the images of the building of the Bolshoi Theatre and spotlights, laser treated for matte finishing, and the inscription ‘БОЛЬШОЙ ТЕАТР’ (BOLSHOI THEATRE) around the lower circumference.

The edge of the coin is corrugated.

The coin is minted in proof quality.

The mintage of the coin is 0.5 thousand pcs.

The new coins are legal tender of the Russian Federation and are mandatory for acceptance for all kinds of payments without any restrictions at their face value.

Dedicated to theatre artists (26.03.2026)

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:30:00 +0300

On 27 March 2026, the Bank of Russia issues a 3-ruble silver commemorative coin ‘The 150^th Anniversary of the Theatre Union of the Russian Federation’ of the Historical Events series (Catalogue No. 5111-0534).

The three-ruble silver coin (fine metal content 31.1 g, fineness 925/1,000) has a round shape and is 39.0 mm in diameter.

The obverse and the reverse of the coin have a relief rim around the circumference.

The obverse of the coin features a relief image of the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation and the inscriptions ‘РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ’ (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) and ‘БАНК РОССИИ’ (BANK OF RUSSIA), the denomination of the coin ‘3 РУБЛЯ’ (3 RUBLES), the year of issue ‘2026 г.’ (2026), the chemical symbol of the metal according to Mendeleev’s Periodic Table of Elements, fineness, the Saint Petersburg Mint trademark, and fine metal content.

The reverse of the coin features a relief image of the building of the Theatre Union of the Russian Federation, a stylised image of theatre curtains, laser treated for matte finishing, and the relief inscriptions ‘СТД’ (the abbreviation for the Theatre Union), ‘150’, and ’СОЮЗ ТЕАТРАЛЬНЫХ ДЕЯТЕЛЕЙ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ’ (THEATRE UNION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION) at the top and around the upper circumference.

The edge of the coin is corrugated.

The coin is minted in proof quality.

The mintage of the coin is 3.0 thousand pcs.

The new coins are legal tender of the Russian Federation and are mandatory for acceptance for all kinds of payments without any restrictions at their face value.

Facts of misuse of insider information in transactions with shares in on-exchange trading established (24.03.2026)

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 18:30:00 +0300

Following an investigation, the Bank of Russia has established facts of misuse of insider information by Ilya Vladimirovich Skorikov in trades with a number of shares (hereinafter, the Shares) on Moscow Exchange.

In the period from 1 February 2024 to 12 March 2025 (hereinafter, the Period), I.V. Skorikov worked as an investment consultant at a Russian bank providing brokerage services, among other things (hereinafter, the Bank).

The investigation established that during the Period, I.V. Skorikov was engaged in coordinated trading via the brokerage account belonging to his wife O.A. Skorikova with several customers of the Bank, to whom he provided investment consulting services (hereinafter, the Customers). I.V. Skorikov sent the Customers investment recommendations to conduct transactions with the Shares, submitting matching orders via the brokerage account belonging to O.A. Skorikova. This resulted in the execution of mutual transactions between the Customers and O.A. Skorikova.

With the assistance of the Bank, it was established that I.V. Skorikov had access to the Bank’s internal system, could see all orders from the Customers in real time, and misused this information to conduct mutual transactions with the Customers.

I.V. Skorikov’s actions were qualified as a violation of the ban set by Clause 1 of Part 1 of Article 6 of Federal Law No. 224-FZ.

I.V. Skorikov was subject to administrative liability for the misuse of insider information. The Bank of Russia has sent him a binding order to cease and desist from similar violations in the future.

Furthermore, the Bank of Russia has sent binding orders to professional securities market participants and trading organisers to suspend all transactions on the brokerage accounts belonging to I.V. Skorikov and O.A. Skorikova.

The Bank of Russia emphasises that the misuse of insider information is prohibited, including in investment consulting.

Results of monitoring of credit institutions’ maximum interest rates (24.03.2026)

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:54:00 +0300

The March 2026 results of the monitoring of the maximum interest rates on deposits¹ in Russian rubles of the top 10 credit institutions,² attracting the largest amount of household deposits are as follows:

– the first 10 days of March – 13.87%; and

– the second 10 days of March – 13.80%.

Data on changes in monitoring results are available on the Bank of Russia website.

Data on average maximum interest rates on deposits by maturity are given for reference.³

¹ The maximum interest rate at a credit institution is measured as follows:

– Maximum interest rates on deposits available to any client (including potential ones) without any limitations and preliminary conditions are taken into account. Deposits for special client categories (pensioners, children) and purposes (social, humanitarian, etc.) are excluded.

– Compound interest rates on deposits are out of scope.

– Interest rates that are effective provided that certain conditions are fulfilled (regular bank card turnover, a permanent minimum balance on a bank card, etc.) are not taken into account.

– Combined deposit products, i.e. deposits with additional conditions, are not considered. Such additional conditions for higher interest accrual may comprise, among other things, purchasing investment units in a certain amount, opening an investment account, concluding an agreement on investment or endowment life insurance, buying an extra service package, etc.

– Deposits with maturities divided into periods with varying interest rates are out of scope.

The average maximum interest rate is calculated as an arithmetic mean of the maximum interest rates of the top 10 credit institutions.

² Sberbank (1481) – www.sberbank.ru, VTB Bank (PJSC) (1000) – www.vtb.ru, Bank GPB (JSC) (354) – www.gazprombank.ru, AO ALFA-BANK (1326) – alfabank.ru, JSC Rosselkhozbank (3349) – www.rshb.ru, Joint Stock Company Bank DOM.RF (2312) – domrfbank.ru, CREDIT BANK OF MOSCOW (1978) – mkb.ru, TBank (2673) – www.tbank.ru, Promsvyazbank PJSC (3251) – psbank.ru, PJSC Sovcombank (963) – sovcombank.ru. The monitoring was conducted by the Department of Banking Regulation and Analytics of the Bank of Russia using the information provided by the said websites. The published values are indicative.

³ Average maximum interest rates on deposits: for up to 90 days – 13.21%; for 91 to 180 days – 13.50%; for 181 days to one year – 13.28%; and for over one year – 11.72%.

Bank of Russia cuts the key rate by 50 bp to 15.00% p.a. (20.03.2026)

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 13:30:00 +0300

On 20 March 2026, the Bank of Russia Board of Directors decided to cut the key rate by 50 basis points to 15.00% per annum. The economy is approaching a balanced growth path. In February, price growth predictably decelerated after a temporary acceleration in January. The Bank of Russia estimates that the underlying measures of current price growth remain in the range of 4–5% in annualised terms. However, uncertainty regarding the external environment has increased considerably.

The Bank of Russia will assess the need for a further key rate cut at its upcoming meetings depending on the sustainability of the inflation slowdown, the dynamics of inflation expectations, and the analysis of risks posed by external and domestic conditions. According to the Bank of Russia’s forecast, given the monetary policy stance, annual inflation will decline to 4.5–5.5% in 2026. Underlying inflation will be close to 4% in 2026 H2. In 2027 and beyond, annual inflation will stay on target.

In January – February, the current seasonally adjusted price growth averaged 10.2% in annualised terms compared to 4.4% in 2025 Q4. The similar indicator of core inflation averaged 7.0% after 5.0% in the previous quarter. As of 16 March 2026, annual inflation stood at 5.9%.

In February, the current price growth slowed significantly as the effects of one-off factors seen at the beginning of the year had faded away. Excluding these factors, underlying inflation is generally assessed at 4–5% in annualised terms.

Inflation expectations have changed little since February. If they remain elevated, this may impede a sustainable slowdown in inflation.

The upward deviation of the Russian economy from a balanced growth path is decreasing. High-frequency data and business surveys indicate slower growth in economic activity in early 2026. Consumer demand cooled after its sharp rise in late 2025, which was mainly driven by expectations of higher VAT and recycling fee. Business sentiment also implies more moderate domestic demand.

The labour market tightness is gradually decreasing. According to surveys, the percentage of enterprises experiencing labour shortages continues to shrink and is now at its lowest level since mid-2023. Companies are planning more moderate wage indexations in 2026 compared to 2023–2025. Meanwhile, unemployment remains at historical lows, and wage growth is still outpacing the growth in labour productivity.

Monetary conditions have eased somewhat but remain tight. Interest rates have declined in most segments of the financial market. Non-price bank lending conditions are still tight.

Lending activity was moderate in early 2026. Households continue to demonstrate a high propensity to save.

Proinflationary risks still prevail over disinflationary ones on the mid-term horizon. The key proinflationary risks are associated with a deterioration in the global economic outlook and rising global price pressures amid increased geopolitical tensions, as well as with a longer upward deviation of the Russian economy from a balanced growth path and high inflation expectations. Disinflationary risks involve a more significant slowdown in domestic demand.

The Bank of Russia takes into account the announced parameters of fiscal policy. On the mid-term horizon, fiscal policy will help slow down inflation. Changes in the fiscal policy parameters may require an adjustment in the monetary policy pursued.

On 1 April 2026, the Bank of Russia releases the Summary of the Key Rate Discussion.

The Bank of Russia Board of Directors holds its next key rate meeting on 24 April 2026. The press release on the Bank of Russia Board decision and the medium-term forecast are to be published at 13.30 Moscow time.

Statement by Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina in follow-up to Board of Directors meeting on 20 March 2026

Results of monitoring of credit institutions’ maximum interest rates (13.03.2026)

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:52:00 +0300

The March 2026 results of the monitoring of the maximum interest rates on deposits¹ in Russian rubles of the top 10 credit institutions² attracting the largest amount of household deposits are as follows:

– the first 10 days of March – 13.87%.

Data on changes in monitoring results are available on the Bank of Russia website.

Data on average maximum interest rates on deposits by maturity are given for reference.³

¹ The maximum interest rate at a credit institution is measured as follows:

– Compound interest rates on deposits are out of scope.

– Interest rates that are effective provided that certain conditions are fulfilled (regular bank card turnover, a permanent minimum balance on a bank card, etc.) are not taken into account.

– Deposits with maturities divided into periods with varying interest rates are out of scope.

The average maximum interest rate is calculated as an arithmetic mean of the maximum interest rates of the top 10 credit institutions.

³ Average maximum interest rates on deposits: for up to 90 days – 13.31%; for 91 to 180 days – 13.57%; for 181 days to one year – 13.36%; and for over one year – 11.73%.

Bank of Russia starts publishing interest rates on unsubsidised loans (13.03.2026)

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 11:31:00 +0300

The Bank of Russia starts publishing information on weighted average interest rates on ruble-denominated bank loans to non-financial organisations, excluding loans issued at subsidised interest rates.

The information will be updated on a monthly basis according to the Official Statistics Release Calendar.

Results of monitoring of credit institutions’ maximum interest rates (04.03.2026)

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:52:00 +0300

The February 2026 results of the monitoring of the maximum interest rates on deposits¹in Russian rubles of the top 10 credit institutions,² attracting the largest amount of household deposits are as follows:

– the first 10 days of February – 14.49 %;

– the second 10 days of February – 14.26%;

– the third 10 days of February – 14.06%.

Data on changes in monitoring results are available on the Bank of Russia website.

Data on average maximum interest rates on deposits by maturity are given for reference.³

¹ The maximum interest rate at a credit institution is measured as follows:

– Compound interest rates on deposits are out of scope.

– Interest rates that are effective provided that certain conditions are fulfilled (regular bank card turnover, a permanent minimum balance on a bank card, etc.) are not taken into account.

– Deposits with maturities divided into periods with varying interest rates are out of scope.

The average maximum interest rate is calculated as an arithmetic mean of the maximum interest rates of the top 10 credit institutions.

³ Average maximum interest rates on deposits: for up to 90 days – 13.46%; for 91 to 180 days – 13.76%; for 181 days to one year – 13.44%; and for over one year – 11.78%.

Bank of Russia challenges European Union Council Regulation of 12 December 2025 before the court of the EU in Luxembourg (03.03.2026)

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0300

On 27 February 2026, the Bank of Russia submitted a claim to the General Court of the European Union (based in Luxembourg) to challenge Regulation of the Council of the European Union No. 2025/2600, dated 12 December 2025 (hereinafter, the EU Regulation). The claim was submitted in accordance with Article 263 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union as part of the ongoing efforts to challenge the European Union’s unlawful actions against the Bank of Russia’s sovereign assets.

The EU Regulation prohibits any direct or indirect transfer of the Bank of Russia’s assets for an indefinite period and excludes the possibility of judicial protection of the infringed rights to the assets, including through the enforcement of any court decisions or arbitration awards in connection with the measures introduced by this act.

As a result, the EU Regulation violates the basic and inalienable rights to access justice, inviolability of property, and the principle of sovereign immunity of States and their central banks, guaranteed by international treaties and European Union law, which contradicts the fundamentals of the rule of law and cannot be regarded as compatible with the principle of supremacy of law.

Moreover, when approving the EU Regulation challenged, the European Union Council committed serious procedural violations, since, in particular, the EU Regulation was adopted not by unanimity of the European Union Member States but by a majority vote, bypassing the requirements of Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

The Bank of Russia reserves all rights, claims, objections and remedies available to it in connection with the EU Regulation and any other measures taken by the European Union and/or its member States in relation to the Bank of Russia or its assets.