OREANDA-NEWS  In Russia, the portfolio of credit cards in the third quarter increased by 2.2 million, reaching 45.2 million units, Izvestia writes, citing data from the Central Bank.

Such an increase has become a record over the past 10 years. Before that, similar indicators were in 2012. Then in the first quarter, the number of issued cards increased by a similar figure, to 24.7 million pieces. This market has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent months, said Oleg Lagutkin, CEO of BCI Scoring Bureau.

The trend is explained by the transition to the cards of the national payment system "Mir", inflationary expectations, as well as the desire of Russians to have reserves of borrowed funds, he added. In large banks, the publication reported an increase in the issuance of credit cards by 10-24 percent. "The growth in demand for cards can also be influenced by a decrease in the solvency of the population and the desire of citizens to improve their credit history in order to receive larger amounts in the bank," said Natalia Bogomolova, an analyst of bank ratings at the National Rating Agency.

Earlier it was reported that the Central Bank wants to reduce the risks of fraud and theft of money from bank cards and accounts of Russians. The regulator intends to include in the insurance policies of bank customers the risk of embezzlement of funds using social engineering methods.