Alexander Vedyakhin, the First Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors at Sberbank, spoke to reporters at the Financial Congress of the Central Bank of Russia and shared a notable statistic: in the first half of the current year, Russia saw a sharp easing in corporate and individual insolvencies. Sberbank’s own analysis indicates that the total number of bankruptcies fell by 40 percent, landing at 3,115 cases. This comparison uses the six-month window to mirror the same period from the previous year, which recorded 5,190 bankruptcies. The data reflects a nationwide trend that appears to be broadly driven by supportive measures from the state aimed at sustaining business activity and preserving liquidity across sectors. The message framed by Vedyakhin underscores a shift toward a more stable financial environment, with the bank representing the perspective of a major financial institution operating within the country. He emphasized that the decrease in bankruptcy filings is not isolated to a single region or industry but is visible across the entire Russian market, signaling a synchronized trajectory in which government programs and policy decisions are shaping outcomes for many enterprises, from small businesses to larger corporate entities.
Vedyakhin highlighted that the downward trend in the failure rate of legal entities is accompanied by a continuous, data-driven assessment of how support mechanisms influence business resilience. He suggested that the interplay between policy initiatives, regulatory relief, and targeted financial assistance is contributing to a more favorable environment for corporate solvency. These observations come at a moment when financial institutions are reassessing risk exposure and recalibrating lending strategies in response to improving indicators. The First Deputy Chairman noted that while the improvement is encouraging, it also serves as a reminder that ongoing government support remains a crucial factor in maintaining momentum and preventing backsliding as the economy navigates post-crisis adjustments and ongoing macroeconomic developments.
Earlier during the Financial Congress, Vedyakhin reiterated a broader assessment of the capital market’s role in financing the real economy. He stressed that long-term capital is essential for funding large-scale projects and sustaining growth over multiple economic cycles. The figure he cited illustrates the scale of demand: tens of trillions of rubles in long-term funding would be needed to meet the economy’s investment requirements in the coming years. He pointed out a noticeable gap in what traditional banking institutions can provide, explaining that even the most robust banks reach the upper limits of their long-term lending capacity. As a result, many ambitious initiatives may hinge on the development and deepening of the capital market. The implication is clear: without a more vibrant market for long-duration financing, a portion of promising ventures could face delays or feasibility challenges, not from a lack of business idea but from a shortage of patient, institutional capital that can support extended project horizons. The remarks positioned the capital market as a strategic channel for bringing together savers, investors, and enterprises, enabling a broader and more stable funding landscape that complements bank-driven credit. In this context, Vedyakhin suggested that continued policy coordination and market-friendly reforms would be essential to unlock this potential and to ensure that the economy can access the level of funding required to realize its most impactful programs and infrastructure plans.