Altai Krai Residents Resume Borrowing More Than They Repay
The total debt owed to banks in Altai Krai exceeds 400 billion rubles.
At the end of 2025, residents of Altai Krai once again began taking out more loans than they were repaying. This is according to data published on the Bank of Russia website. The current total debt of Altai Krai residents is 404 billion rubles (about $4.0 billion at current rates). If this figure is divided by the region«s population, it works out that every local resident owes banks about 192,000 rubles (about $1,900).
The debt of Altai Krai residents continues to rise according to the latest data.
How were loans taken and repaid in Altai Krai?
Residents« saving activity remains at a historically high level in the region.
Over the past five years—from 2021 to 2025—there have been only a few periods when residents of Altai Krai repaid more money to banks than they took out in new loans. While the first such instances were minor in scale, the situation changed sharply from December 2024 to May 2025.
The highest debt indicator was recorded in the region during 2024.
The total debt of Altai Krai residents decreased at the end of 2021—this lasted from November to December 2021. After that, locals again began taking out more loans than they repaid.
Growth in total debt slowed again in May 2022. The trend continued in June 2022. However, debt then began to rise again—this lasted throughout 2023.
In January 2024, the figure decreased slightly. This situation repeated later in August. Meanwhile, the most significant debt reduction in the region occurred at the end of the year. In December 2024, the indicator fell by 16.709 billion rubles (about $167.1 million). This continued until May of this year. In June, debt began to rise again, but decreased once more the following month. A new period of growth began in September and continues to this day.
In November 2024, the total debt of Altai Krai residents, which had been rising constantly and had reached a mark of 435 billion rubles (about $4.3 billion), began to decrease significantly. This process lasted for most of 2025, and in August the figure fell to 397 billion rubles (about $4.0 billion), but then growth began anew.
What about mortgages?
According to the latest data for November 2025, the total outstanding balance for mortgage housing loans is 208.7 billion rubles (about $2.1 billion). Over the period from 2021 to the present year, this indicator decreased several times.
The first such case occurred in December 2021, when residents of Altai Krai repaid 2 billion rubles (about $20 million) more to banks than they took out.
In 2022, the indicator declined for two consecutive months from May to June, but then began to climb again. After that, the remaining balance and total debt only increased throughout 2023.
The situation changed again in August 2024. With the exception of November, in the other months residents of Altai Krai paid down more on mortgages than they took out in new ones.
In 2025, debt also decreased significantly in February, and then in the summer—in July and August. After that and to this day, residents of Altai Krai have again started borrowing more from banks than they are repaying.
According to Sberbank«s Domklik service, by the end of December 2025, almost 8.5 thousand mortgage loans had been issued in Altai Krai, which is slightly lower than the 2024 figure of 8.9 thousand loans. However, the total amount of loans issued in 2025 for property acquisition exceeds the 2024 figures—30.3 billion rubles (about $303 million) against 24.8 billion rubles (about $248 million).
The leader in the number and volume of mortgage issuances in the region was the Family Mortgage program: it accounted for 58.8% of the total number of mortgages issued and 78.5% of the total sum.
Other state-supported programs accounted for 3.3% of issued funds, and market-rate mortgages—18.2%. The leader by volume of mortgage issuances in the region was primary real estate, stimulated by preferential programs, accounting for over 71% of issued funds.
Secondary property acquisition accounted for 12.4% of funds, which is lower than the share for suburban real estate (16.3%), including 2.8% of the loan volume issued for individual housing construction.
Besides growing mortgages, a major contributor to the increase in debt were microloans, which people began taking out en masse to purchase various goods on online marketplaces.
The growth in loan volume at the end of 2025 can be directly linked to online marketplaces. According to the Bank of Russia, the indicator for installment plans provided by online stores is rapidly growing. From the end of 2024 until June 30, 2025, the volume of debt grew by 60 billion rubles (about $600 million) and now stands at 230.9 billion rubles (about $2.3 billion).
How much money do Altai Krai residents have in banks?
As explained by the Altai branch of the Central Bank, residents of Altai Krai hold more money in their accounts than the region«s total population»s credit portfolio. As of November 1, 2025, residents of Altai Krai held 443 billion rubles (about $4.4 billion) in their accounts and deposits, and another 41 billion rubles (about $410 million) in escrow accounts. The total balance of funds attracted by banks from the region«s population is 484 billion rubles (about $4.8 billion). The retail credit portfolio on the same date was 404 billion rubles (about $4.0 billion), including an outstanding balance of 195 billion rubles (about $2.0 billion) in consumer loans and 209 billion rubles (about $2.1 billion) in mortgages.
The situation regarding credit debt and account and deposit balances (excluding escrow account funds) from 2021 to 2025 in Altai Krai changed as follows:
The situation regarding escrow account balances from 2021 to 2025 in Altai Krai changed as follows:
A period of high interest rates encouraged the population of Altai Krai to save more and take out fewer loans. Saving activity in the region remains at a historically high level against the backdrop of high deposit rates.
