Only a quarter of Russians (26%) keep their savings in banks, according to the state-owned pollster, the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VTsIOM).
That is slightly down from 2013 when 28% of Russians used banks to hold their savings. At the same time 73% of Russians reported they have no savings at all, up from 71% in 2013.
Still, more than a third (39%) of respondents said they had bank accounts (38% in 2013) even if they were empty.
Despite the reluctance to use banks, trust in the system has improved: among Russians the fear of losing savings due to a bank crisis has fallen dramatically to 29%, compared to 50% who thought it “quite likely” in 2013.
News of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) removing bank licenses reached the majority of Russians (67%), but only 14% followed the situation closely – although the share is much higher among bank deposit holders where 25% follow the news carefully.