The Central Bank of Russia published 2025 supervisory statistics showing a 19% decline in suspicious transactions, with volumes falling from RUB 90 billion to RUB 72.6 billion. Suspicious cash withdrawals fell by 25% to RUB 48.3 billion across the economy. Within the banking sector, suspicious cash withdrawals declined by 28%, driven largely by reductions in two prevalent schemes: suspicious transactions using payment cards of companies and individual entrepreneurs almost halved, while illegal transfers from shell companies to individuals’ accounts fell by 24%. Transactions showing signs of siphoning funds abroad decreased by 5% year on year to RUB 24.3 billion. The Bank linked the overall downtrend to cooperation between the regulator and banks and the use of its Know Your Customer Platform, citing a 0.3% share of high-risk customers having their reputation restored by the Interagency Commission and a 97.1% share of companies and individual entrepreneurs classified as low-risk. The update also highlighted further countermeasures against suspicious transactions involving money mules used by illegal businesses such as anonymous cryptocurrency exchanges and online casinos. Banks can now detect such activity in real time, often using artificial intelligence, with money mule cards typically blocked within a day rather than being used for more than a month; the average transaction volume per money mule fell from RUB 1–3 million to RUB 100,000–150,000, and suspicious transactions in money mule accounts decreased several-fold across the banking sector.
Central Bank of Russia 2026-03-31
Central Bank of Russia reports 19% fall in suspicious transactions in 2025
The Central Bank of Russia’s 2025 supervisory data show suspicious transactions fell 19% to RUB 72.6 billion and suspicious cash withdrawals dropped 25% to RUB 48.3 billion, mainly due to fewer card-based schemes and illegal shell-company transfers. Suspected fund siphoning abroad declined 5% to RUB 24.3 billion, supported by closer bank cooperation and the Know Your Customer Platform, with 97.1% of companies and entrepreneurs rated low-risk. The Bank also tightened controls on money mules through near real-time blocking, sharply reducing average transaction size and cutting suspicious mule-account activity several-fold.