Russia’s Central Bank Seeks Curbs on Marketplace Discounts and In‑House Bank Products

Overview

• Bank of Russia chief Elvira Nabiullina sent a letter proposing to ban price changes based on payment method and to bar marketplaces from selling products of their own subsidiary banks.
• The proposal also calls for the Federal Antimonopoly Service to help monitor compliance with any pricing rules on platforms.
• The Economy Ministry confirmed it received the letter, noted that Law 289‑FZ enables the government to set platform pricing requirements, and said any restrictions must be assessed comprehensively for their market impact.
• No new rules have been adopted, with further interagency review and potential FAS involvement indicated as likely next steps.
• Alfa‑Bank voiced support for tighter rules, an unnamed banker warned about risk from the rapid growth of banks tied to Wildberries and Ozon, and Sberbank’s German Gref claimed marketplace discount schemes contributed to roughly 1.5 trillion rubles in 2025 tax shortfalls.