- Статьи
- Economy
- Give a white light: the State Duma insists on the inclusion of all banks in the lists of the Ministry of Finance
Give a white light: the State Duma insists on the inclusion of all banks in the lists of the Ministry of Finance
The State Duma demands the expansion of the "white lists" to all banks so that access to them remains when the Internet is turned off. The Committee on the financial market plans to discuss this with the Ministry of Finance in the near future. Also, its chairman has already addressed this issue to the Prime Minister. Currently, the list includes only five large credit institutions, and there is not even a Savings bank. It is important to include both the largest players and small banks that make a significant share of payments in the regions, the market is confident. The current situation disrupts the competition. What are the risks for businesses and citizens from this and what the Ministry of Finance thinks about it — in the Izvestia article.
Who is in favor of expanding the "white lists"
In Russia, it is necessary to expand the list of banks that are on the "white lists," Anatoly Aksakov, head of the State Duma Committee on the financial market, told Izvestia. He is going to apply to the Ministry of Finance with a proposal that the agency step up work in this direction and include all credit institutions in the list.
The MP noted that he would separately discuss the inclusion of small banks in the "white lists". They often play an important role in the regions — a large proportion of payments can pass through them. The geopolitical situation requires more prompt solutions, Aksakov added.
The "white lists" in the Russian Federation are lists of Internet resources and services that remain accessible even with communication restrictions for security reasons. There is no general and updated complete "white list" of services and resources on the website of the Ministry of Digital Economy, but there are the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth lists, which are published separately.
So far, only five Russian banks have been included in the "white lists" — VTB, Alfa-Bank, PSB, MTS Bank and Gazprombank. In addition, it was previously reported that Zenit and Novik could be added to the list. But there are 305 banks operating in Russia, 214 of which have a universal license, and 91 have a basic one, according to the Central Bank.
The so-called white list includes the most in-demand and socially significant services and sites, the press service of the Ministry of Finance explained to Izvestia. The decision to include a resource is made if it meets the requirements of the authorities responsible for security. In addition, an important condition for getting on the list is the location of all computing power in the territory of the Russian Federation, they added.
As noted in the department, in order for even more banks to be included in the "white lists", it is necessary to intensify their work to meet the requirements. At the same time, with regard to small financial organizations, the Central Bank needs to prioritize such proposals, since the list is technically limited, the Ministry of Finance emphasized.
However, the Association of Russian Banks (ARB) is confident that it is important that all credit institutions serving individuals, regardless of size, are on the list. The head of the analytical department of the association, Angela Khanachevskaya, said that in April the organization appealed to the regulator with a request to facilitate the inclusion in the list of banks participating in the deposit insurance system.
As Denis Lipaev, acting president of the Association of Banks of Russia (ADB), explained, Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the organization's council, appealed to Mikhail Mishustin, head of the Cabinet of Ministers, with a proposal to expand the "white lists". He recommended that all credit institutions be included in them, as well as their main digital services — online banking, mobile applications and payment systems. Aksakov confirmed this information to Izvestia.
Why do we need "whitelists"?
On the eve of Victory Day celebrations, the Russian authorities are strengthening security measures. In early May, mobile Internet outages turned out to be more short—lived and predictable: operators notified subscribers about them the day before - on May 4.
On the morning of May 5, residents of large cities began to report outages, but by lunchtime the connection was restored. As explained in the Ministry of Finance, there are no plans to restrict the mobile network in Moscow on May 7 and 8, but operational measures may be introduced if security threats arise. At the same time, on Victory Day, Internet access — including to the "white list" of sites — will be limited.
The head of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, announced at the end of March that all credit institutions with a valid license should be included in the "white lists". Being on this list gives you a significant competitive advantage. The editorial board contacted the regulator with a question about whether they see the risks of a slow expansion of the list.
As Izvestia reported earlier, the FSB requires compliance with a number of conditions in order to join the list, including the installation of a system of operational investigative measures (SORM) - it provides law enforcement agencies with access to information transfer data. The addition of the "white lists" is formed in coordination with the agencies responsible for security.
The criteria for including banks in the list should be fixed at the legislative level, according to the press service of Freedom Finance Global. For example, a credit institution must be registered and operate primarily in Russia, not be under the control of foreign owners from unfriendly countries, store customer data in the Russian IT infrastructure and provide access to them to law enforcement agencies and special services upon request.
They added that it is important for financial organizations to establish transparent and equal rules without any "indulgences", since getting into or not falling into the "white lists" directly affects their work, as well as their reputation and customer base. However, the addition of organizations that have fulfilled the requirements needs to be stepped up. If this does not happen, then banks outside the list may start losing customers, they will lose their competitiveness and eventually face losses.
How does business work without the Internet
Today, mobile communications involve payments, online sales registers, delivery, logistics, customer records, electronic document management, as well as the work of couriers and sales representatives, explained Sergey Katyrin, head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. For example, if the bank through which the business operates is not connected to the "white lists", then transactions on its terminal will not take place against the background of Internet outages. This affects small businesses the most, including trade, catering, delivery, fitness, pharmacies and service companies, Sergey Katyrin explained.
Interruptions to the Internet, both mobile and landline, pose risks of direct losses, additional costs, delayed deliveries and lost profits for businesses, added Maxim Barashev, Managing Partner at BBNP. On May 5, many companies were unable to make the necessary payments, including cross-border ones. Sometimes this leads to delays in the entire supply chain associated with several counterparties at once.
Against the background of Internet outages, retail representatives also complained that they could not accept payments. With the advent of cashless payments, most buyers stopped using paper money. However, during the two spring months, about 1 trillion in cash entered circulation, the movement of which is difficult to control and confirm. Industries where it is not possible to pay for the service in paper bills, such as carsharing, are suffering the most, said financial adviser and founder of Rodin.Capital Alexey Rodin.
ATMs also work through mobile operators, so operations to receive or deposit cash outside of bank branches often also do not work when the Internet is turned off, added Alexey Begaev, founder of the Insek group of companies.
For the consumer, it does not matter for what reason the payment was not made or the delivery was disrupted — he considers the company to be to blame, Sergey Katyrin explained. Therefore, outages also create reputational risks. To solve the problem, businesses are forced to install fixed Internet, routers, connect alternative payment solutions and switch some of the processes to manual mode, and this requires additional costs.
If the interruptions last for several hours, then in general this does not have a critical impact on the business, Maxim Barashev believes. But restrictions for more than a day are becoming a serious blow for entrepreneurs. During this time, the business may actually earn nothing. At the same time, mandatory expenses do not disappear anywhere — organizations still need to pay rent, salaries and repay loans, he added. If disruptions become regular, businesses will have to rebuild processes — this will lead to additional costs, which ultimately will affect the cost of goods and services for consumers.
The Russian authorities should actively expand the "white lists" and include both large and small banks in them, experts say. This will reduce risks and costs for both businesses and citizens.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
