THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUAL BANKRUPTCIES IN RUSSIA GREW BY 71%

According to the results of January and February 2021, representatives of Fedresurs reported an increase in the number of individual bankruptcies. In two months, 24.8 thousand people went bankrupt, which is almost 71% more than the same period last year. The Ministry of Economic Development stated that the reason for the dynamics could be not only economic factors, but also an increase in the knowledge of citizens about the procedures associated with bankruptcy.

The growth in the number of bankruptcies was influenced by the fact that due to the pandemic, those industries where a significant part of individual entrepreneurs and self-employed are employed were under attack, say the experts. First of all, these include the spheres of tourism, retail trade and various services.

Earlier, the head of Fedresurs, Aleksey Yukhnin, noted that the number of bankruptcies of individuals this year could increase significantly. And although the predictions related to the autumn period, the first months of the year partially confirmed his words.

10 thousand Russians became insolvent in January, and in February - 14.8 thousand.

Compared to last year's indicators (6 thousand in January and 8 thousand in February), the growth can be called noticeable.

Experts call the difficulties of obtaining financial assistance for individual entrepreneurs and self-employed persons during the pandemic as one of the factors in the increase in the number of bankruptcies. Opportunities for obtaining loans at low rates or participation in preferential lending programs were not available for them, in contrast to legal entities. This is practically confirmed by the fact that the number of legal entities that went bankrupt in the same period of 2021 even decreased - from 1.7 thousand to 1.3 thousand.

An important role was played by the formation in the mass consciousness of Russians of the idea of ​​bankruptcy as a way to get rid of financial difficulties.

At the same time, among all borrowers, the number of citizens who have gone through the bankruptcy procedure remains very low, experts say.

An additional factor that influenced the popularization of bankruptcies of individuals could be the emergence of extrajudicial bankruptcy in Russia. According to a number of specialists, this greatly facilitated access to the legal procedure for citizens. According to the head of Fedresurs, one should not discount the experience accumulated by arbitration managers and judges in recent years, which, of course, influences the effectiveness of their work in insolvency cases.