Russians are in dire need of working capital to service loans and cover daily living expenses. A significant decline in incomes, high bank rates, difficulties in obtaining loans from banks, and a "dirty" previous credit history - these and other problems are forcing citizens of the aggressor country, the russian federation, to turn to pawnshops more often. This is stated in a report by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (FIS).
Thus, according to intelligence agency data, in 2025 the flow of pawnshop customers increased by 15%, and in 2026 the trend remains at the level of plus 7-10% per month. The net profit of pawnshops increased by approximately 50% compared to the previous year.
According to experts, this year the pawnshop market in russia may reach RUB 1 trillion and begin to compete in terms of volume with niche marketplaces (RUB 990 billion) and the fishing industry (RUB 1.1 trillion).
"The sector is developing so effectively that one of the leading players in the russian market, the MGKL group, is negotiating the purchase of a bank. In other words, pawnshops in russia are becoming a mass financial instrument," the FIS emphasizes.
The intelligence community adds that the russians' turn to pawnshops indicates distrust in the official banking credit policy.
"Currently, the number of loans in russian pawnshops is 2-2.5 million per year, the average check tends to grow constantly, luxury watches, jewelry and cars are increasingly used as collateral. The rejection rate for customers is very low - 0.4%, so russians can quickly get cash, if, of course, there is something to pledge. At the same time, according to the Central Bank of the russian federation, in January 2026 alone, customers withdrew a record amount from bank cards since 2022 – RUB 1.6 trillion," the FIS reports.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, according to Ukrainian intelligence, russia is increasing pressure on its business in order to attract additional funds to finance the war against Ukraine.
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