Corporate Lending in January-October 2021

Sergey A. Zubov – Senior Researcher of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor (Moscow, Russia). Е-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The economic recovery and the expected rise in interest rates are stimulating demand for corporate loans. The quality of the aggregate portfolio of corporate loans is improving: the average level of past-due debt is gradually decreasing; the level of profitability is moving up. At the same time, the increased banks’ propensity to risk amid ongoing macroeconomic turbulence requires increased attention of the regulator to the quality of the banks’ corporate portfolio and the adequacy of bank risk management.

Key words: Russian banking sector, corporate lending, Bank of Russia.

JEL-codes: D81, E58, G21, G38.