MOSCOW, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The number of cash loans issued in Russia surged in March 2026, rising 56 percent year on year to 2.04 million, local media reported on Friday.
According to data released by the United Credit Bureau, the figure also marked a 27 percent increase from February, when 1.6 million loans were issued.
In value terms, cash lending totaled 406.94 billion rubles (about 5.35 billion U.S. dollars) in March, up 34 percent from the previous month and 80 percent higher compared with the same period last year.
The average loan size reached 200,000 rubles (2,630 dollars), increasing by 10,000 rubles (132 dollars) from February and by 27,000 rubles (355 dollars) year on year.
Moscow led regional lending in March, followed by the Moscow region and St. Petersburg. ■
