Russia banks profit rise with rising distressed loans

More than 75% of sector profits are concentrated in just 10 large lenders, most of them state-controlled, with Sberbank alone accounting for 995.3 billion rubles in the first half and roughly 44% of total industry profit. The five biggest lenders — Sberbank, VTB, Alfa-Bank, T-Bank and Gazprombank — generated more than 70% of sector profit, leaving smaller banks far more exposed to funding pressures and loan losses.

The gap between reported earnings and underlying asset quality is widening. The number of loss-making banks rose to 65 out of 300 by August, up 87% from a year earlier, while nearly a quarter of institutions were loss-making in the second quarter. Even some larger names including Pochta Bank, Bank Sinara and UBRR posted losses, underscoring that the strain is not confined to niche lenders.

A major driver of the profit surge is the sharp drop in provisions, not stronger lending conditions. Sector profit jumped to 443 billion rubles in July as provisioning fell by 114 billion rubles, or 40%, and central bank officials have acknowledged that many lenders are taking advantage of temporary relief to avoid marking down risky loans too aggressively.

That is starting to show up in the debt numbers. Overdue corporate debt stands at 3.5 trillion rubles, but broader problem debt including restructurings and other troubled loans is already 11.5 trillion rubles, with total distressed debt at 13.4 trillion rubles. Risky restructurings rose to 4.8 trillion rubles from 3 trillion rubles over the year, and about 2% of corporate loans have now been restructured five or more times.

The defense sector is adding to the pressure. Analysts estimate banks have been forced to issue between $210 billion and $250 billion in subsidized loans to defense companies since February 2022, tying balance sheets ever more closely to state priorities rather than commercial returns. Promsvyazbank, which serves the defense industry, swung to a 19.2 billion-ruble loss in 2025 after a 65.3 billion-ruble profit a year earlier and tripled provisions to nearly 300 billion rubles.

Sberbank’s own figures show why the sector’s flagship is increasingly a warning signal rather than a comfort. Provisioning costs rose 78.4% in the first half to 361.9 billion rubles, impaired loans climbed to 5.5% of the book, and overdue debt reached 2.6 trillion rubles. Senior executives have publicly warned of more provisions ahead, while the bank has cut its 2026 GDP growth outlook to 0%-0.5% and sees inflation at 6.5%-7%.

The risk for investors is that the system’s record profit is being bought with thinner capital buffers. Banks paid out about 0.9 trillion rubles in dividends, which cut sector capital by 0.5 trillion rubles in a single month and pushed buffers closer to minimum requirements. If credit deterioration continues, the market narrative shifts from earnings resilience to recapitalization risk and further consolidation under state-controlled giants.

That leaves the central bank with an increasingly awkward choice between preserving the appearance of profitability and forcing banks to recognize losses more honestly. With troubled assets still climbing and capital thinning, the next catalyst is likely to be fresh provisioning, more restructuring or a new round of state support.