OREANDA-NEWS Since the beginning of 2026, Russians have doubled their transfers abroad. This is reported by the Izvestia newspaper with reference to data from the Central Bank (CB).

By June, the volume of all transfers abroad had doubled to 321 billion rubles, while foreign currency transfers had almost tripled to 144 billion. Most of the transactions are conducted in rubles, accounting for 55 percent.

Capital outflow is a legitimate financial transaction in which Russian residents invest in foreign assets and securities, transfer money to foreign bank accounts, or purchase foreign currency in cash.

The reason why the outflow accelerated was the instability of the ruble, which could encourage citizens who were already planning to spend in foreign currency or travel abroad to make a transfer in advance before the exchange rate dropped even more, explained financial analyst Alexey Rodin.

Also, the volume of transfers abroad could grow against the background of fluctuations in the domestic stock market, ongoing problems with freezing transfers and changes in the tax system, Rodin said. A number of citizens believe that it is safer to keep at least some of the funds abroad, he explained. Also, due to the reduction in the key interest rate, ruble deposits could become less attractive, so some Russians could distribute savings between different currencies, added Vladimir Chernov, analyst at Freedom Global.

Earlier it was reported that the first mass stage of the digital ruble implementation will start in Russia on September 1, 2026. However, this does not imply the cancellation of cash or bank cards. Economists remind that the digital ruble is the third form of the Russian national currency along with cash and non—cash money. It is issued by the Bank of Russia, and one digital ruble is equal to one ruble.