VTB: Russians are increasing spending on sports and a healthy lifestyle

      August 7, 2026 16:17 Economy According to VTB, Russians continue to increase spending on a healthy lifestyle. In the first half of the year, bank clients' expenses on gyms, sports nutrition, and clothing grew by more than 40% compared to the same period last year. From January to July, VTB clients spent over 52 billion rubles on sports nutrition, clothing, and visits to sports clubs, making 15 million payments—18% more than the previous year. The average check for goods and services amounted to 3,300 rubles, which is 20% higher than the figure for the first half of 2025. Moscow traditionally leads in sports spending with 15.9 billion rubles. It is followed by St. Petersburg with 5.7 billion rubles, Nizhny Novgorod with 1 billion rubles, Yekaterinburg with 919 million rubles, and Novosibirsk with 803 million rubles. The ranking of cities by the number of transactions differs slightly: Moscow and St. Petersburg are also leaders, with Novokuznetsk in third place. Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg also made it to the top five. The peak spending on sports in 2026 occurred in May—this trend matches last year's. However, the month with the lowest spending changed: if in 2025 it was January, this year it is April. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has channels on Telegram and MAX. Subscribe to stay updated on the main events, exclusive materials, and operational information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is mandatory. This resource may contain materials 18+