Banks in April raised the limits on new credit cards to a record

Credit institutions themselves say that a higher loan amount was provided exclusively to solvent Russians, while the Central Bank is experiencing a possible growth of bubbles in lending to individuals.

Compared to April last year, the average credit card limit increased by 12.3%. This month, a year ago, banks, on the contrary, tightened their lending policies towards borrowers, fearing a rise in defaults.

The growth of limits on credit cards is also noted in other credit bureaus. So, BKI "Equifax" announces an increase in the average amount of the limit in April by 4.5 thousand rubles - up to 72.5 thousand. The United Credit Bureau (OKB) recorded an increase in the limit on cards by 3.3% - up to 71.4 thousand rubles.

According to experts interviewed by RBC, the growth of credit card limits is associated with the recovery of economic activity and the deferred demand of Russians for loans. In addition, the indicator was affected by accelerated inflation this year. Before the summer vacation, Russians began to purchase vouchers, as well as make large purchases, which sparked increased interest in the banks' affordable loan products.

In addition, Russian interest in this product was also affected by an increase in loan approval, which in April amounted to 35.5%. Banks have softened the requirements for borrowers when issuing loans.

The Russians themselves also became more interested in credit products, expecting an increase in interest rates on them in the short term after the increase in the key rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

At the same time, the Central Bank itself expresses concerns about the growth of the debt burden of Russians. "This year we see a fairly rapid growth in the debt burden of individuals, in some places we can even talk about bubbles," Ksenia Yudaeva, first deputy chairman of the Central Bank, said earlier.