60 "black" creditors identified in the Volga Federal District for the first quarter of 2026

      60 "black" creditors identified in the Volga Federal District for the first quarter of 2026. According to the press service of the Volga-Vyatka Main Directorate of the Bank of Russia, 68 illegal participants in the financial market were identified in the regions under its jurisdiction from January to March 2026. The vast majority of violators—60 organizations—belong to the category of "black" creditors, with 14 found in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Four financial pyramids were identified in the first quarter of 2026. All of them are registered in the Udmurt Republic. In addition, cases of illegal fundraising have been recorded in Udmurtia, Tatarstan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Saratov regions. It is noted that "black" creditors do not have the legal right to lend money to citizens. Loans from such organizations are usually accompanied by inflated interest rates and the risk of losing pledged property. Many borrowers are even unaware that they are dealing with illegals. A warning sign should be a request for an advance payment for the loan; illegals may also use the borrower's personal data after obtaining documents and take out a loan in their name or steal money from their accounts. Often, "black" creditors disguise themselves as pawnshops, but they are not listed in the Bank of Russia's registry and do not have the appropriate license. A legal pawnshop always issues a pawn ticket in two copies with complete information about the transaction: the loan amount, interest rate, contract duration, and repayment schedule. The Bank of Russia reminds that organizations not under the regulator's supervision and not legislatively regulated do not have the right to publicly attract citizens' funds as investments. Fines are provided for such actions. Only banks, brokers, management companies, leasing companies, consumer cooperatives (exclusively from their members), and organizations issuing securities in accordance with legislation on the securities market, investment funds, and mortgage securities can publicly attract investments from individuals.