Nearly a third (30.8%) of surveyed Russians have had transfers or cards blocked at least once due to the monthly limit of 100,000 rubles imposed on individuals in the Central Bank`s database. For 4.4%, these situations occur regularly. Most citizens find it inconvenient to visit a bank branch to unblock their transfers. One in ten respondents would prefer resolving such issues online.

It`s worth noting that since June 1, new rules apply to money transfers between individuals listed in the CBR`s database. Their transfers are now limited to 100,000 rubles. More than a third (37.4%) of respondents believe this measure will affect ordinary people as well. Nearly half (49.6%) of Russians feel increased control from banks and the state due to the innovations. One fifth (21.2%) fear being mistakenly added to the CBR`s list, and only 8.2% believe the new measures will make their transfers safer. Nevertheless, 28% of citizens support the initiative as a way to fight fraudsters.

Alla Khrapunova, Deputy Head of the Popular Front`s «For Borrowers` Rights» project, considers the limit for clients in the Bank of Russia`s database to be quite lenient. It applies to clients whose accounts and cards banks decided not to completely disconnect from remote services. Public dissatisfaction and disagreement with these principles might stem from a lack of understanding among citizens regarding the purpose of the CBR`s database.

However, when discussing reactions, it`s important to remember the source of the problem: restrictions only apply to clients whose data is in the Bank of Russia`s database. «This database includes `droppers`,» the expert explained. «This category of clients has been identified as facilitating the withdrawal of stolen funds.» Mistakes in adding details to the database do occur, but there is a clear mechanism for correction. If a client disagrees with the Bank of Russia`s assessment, they can submit an appeal with supporting documents via the CBR website and receive a response within 15 days. If the reasons for remaining in the database persist, the person should analyze the transactions made through their cards. If the signs of being a `dropper` are cleared, the client`s details will be removed from the database, Khrapunova emphasized.

The new measure shows effectiveness as a tool against fraudsters. According to Ignat Likhunov, founder of the Cartesius legal agency, the rates in criminal communities for processing transactions between users have jumped from 7-8% to 16%, which is most likely directly linked to the operation of the «dropper registry.»

Experts, however, urge caution in interpreting the survey data. Grigory Osipov, former FSB employee and now Director of Investigations at the digital asset security platform «SHARD», believes it is too early to draw definitive conclusions as the mechanism is still being refined. He notes that even the statistics on bank card fraud from the CBR and Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs last year do not align with the «one third of the population» figure presented in the study. Osipov pointed out that blocking bank cards and the 100,000 ruble limit for those in the anti-fraud database are different measures and might have been confused in the survey. The primary goal was to reduce the risks associated with money laundering from criminal activities and to combat fraud and dropper activity. Success in the latter is evident, judging by the increased cost of bank cards on the dark market. It seems the measure has not yet reached its full operational capacity, while rumors of «total state control» over citizens are spreading ahead of actual enforcement. As of late June – early July 2025, there is no official statistics on the number of blocks: banks are not required to publish such data, and Rosfinmonitoring does not disclose it either. It is premature to assess the scale of inconvenience for citizens, the expert concluded.