COLLECTORS FROM "UNFRIENDLY" COUNTRIES MAY BE BANNED FROM WORKING IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

COLLECTORS FROM "UNFRIENDLY" COUNTRIES MAY BE BANNED FROM WORKING IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

COLLECTORS FROM "UNFRIENDLY" COUNTRIES MAY BE BANNED FROM WORKING IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
The Ministry of Justice has begun discussing a draft presidential decree that will ban the functioning of collection agencies, banks and MFOs that are under the control of foreign persons from unfriendly states. The project was published on the website on the Internet last Wednesday.

According to the document, the ministry plans to outlaw those Microfinance organizations, credit organizations and collection structures that include founders, members of the board of directors or sole executive bodies associated with foreign countries that commit unfriendly activity against the Russian Federation. It is also proposed to limit the legal work of those Russian persons who are under the influence of such foreigners.

According to the text of the explanatory note, we can talk about 16 legal entities, among the founders of which are non-residents. In total, according to data from September 2022, 441 companies in Russia were engaged in the repayment of overdue debts of citizens (collection activities).

According to officials, foreign participants continue to occupy a significant share in the industry. First of all, we are talking about organizations whose founders are located abroad or cases where foreign commercial structures operate as part of the founders.

Despite the sanctions of a number of such states, their residents continue to profit from activities in Russia. At the same time, the enforcement of court decisions in favor of such structures affects from 80% to 100% of the income of companies that have been the objects of such influence.

The project will be publicly discussed until the end of January 2024. The Ministry assumes that its signing by the head of state will reduce the amount of funds withdrawn abroad. In addition, this should exclude the possibility for these individuals to collect personal data of Russians and put pressure on them.

As the RBC publication notes, the project has already been supported by the National Association of Professional Collectors (NAPCA). According to her representative, this will help bring order to the industry related to debt collection. Over the past few years, many Western founders of collection structures have already left the Russian business. In September 2023, the "First Client Bureau" (PKB) did this. Roman Kovalev acquired the capital of foreign PKB participants. Prior to that, the organization was managed by the investment funds Baring Vostok and Da Vinci Capital.

19.01.2024