Russia's Central Bank will force banks to link every citizen's tax identification number to their bank accounts in a sweeping new surveillance measure, Deputy Governor Olga Polyakova announced, RBC reported on December 8.

The move which echoes previous policy moves in China is the latest tightening of fiscal rules in Russia, putting further pressure on citizens and large corporations in the latest clambering for cash. 

According to the new Kremlin diktat, banks must now collect tax IDs for all new accounts and retrospectively attach them to existing accounts under the mandatory scheme.

Customers will have no choice in the matter as banks gain powers to access Federal Tax Service databases without asking permission.

"If previously there was no mandatory requirement for banks to establish the customer's INN as a mandatory account detail, we will introduce such a requirement - both when opening a new account and for accounts that were opened earlier," Polyakova said in an interview with RBC.

The dragnet comes as Moscow prepares to launch its "Anti-Drop" platform in mid-2027 - a system designed to track and expose people who lend their bank accounts for cash.

The central bank claims the crackdown targets fraudsters, but critics warn it hands authorities unprecedented power to monitor citizens' financial lives.

Banks already possess Federal Tax Service tools allowing them to obtain anyone's tax ID without directly contacting customers, Polyakova confirmed. The tax identification number will serve as the primary identifier tracking individuals across Russia's banking system.

"During surveys, banks confirmed to us the appropriateness of such a choice," Polyakova said, according to RBC.