Bank24.ru

Bank24.ru (Банк24.ру) was a Russian commercial bank that operated from 1992 to 2014. It was founded in 1992 under the name Uralkontaktbank and was based in Yekaterinburg. In June 2003, new owners took over management and carried out a rebranding, changing the name to Bank24.ru. The bank positioned itself as a pioneer in remote banking services, offering online account management and other digital financial products to individuals and businesses. In late 2008, Bank24.ru became part of the Life financial group. During the 2008 financial crisis, the bank faced a severe liquidity crunch after a mass outflow of deposits, which management attributed to an "information attack" via internet forums, SMS, and ICQ. In November 2008, the bank requested financial assistance from the Bank of Russia and the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA). A general agreement on financial rehabilitation was signed on 4 December 2008 between the DIA, Probusinessbank, and Bank24.ru. In January 2009, Probusinessbank's acquisition of Bank24.ru negatively affected the former's reputation, with its rating downgraded from stable to negative. In September 2009, Bank24.ru was fined 70,000 rubles for sending advertising SMS messages to clients without their consent, in violation of antitrust legislation. On 16 September 2014, the Bank of Russia revoked the bank's banking license by order No. OD-2521. The reason for the revocation was unusual: the bank was in good financial health, as later liquidation with 100% repayment of obligations showed. The main reason was weak control over clients' tax evasion, particularly large-scale cash withdrawal. Following the license revocation, the Moscow Arbitration Court ordered the forced liquidation of Bank24.ru on 14 November 2014. The liquidation process is being conducted by the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) and, as of the end of 2025, has not been completed due to newly discovered circumstances and consideration of creditors' claims filed after the register closure date.

Bank24.ru was founded in 1992 under the name Uralkontaktbank. In June 2003, new owners took over management and carried out a rebranding, changing the name to Bank24.ru. The bank was based in Yekaterinburg and positioned itself as a pioneer in remote banking services. In 2004, a criminal case known as the 'Bank24.ru Case' was initiated by the Sverdlovsk Region Prosecutor's Office against deputies of the Yekaterinburg Duma Alexander Khabarov, Alexander Varaksin, and banker Alexander Belykh under Article 179 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('Coercion to complete a transaction or refusal to complete it'). According to the investigation, to return shares, Sergey Lapshin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank24.ru, had to transfer 19.66% of shares of OJSC Stroyplastpolymer to Alexander Varaksin for 29,000 rubles. In late 2008, Bank24.ru became part of the Life financial group. During the 2008 financial crisis, the bank faced a severe liquidity crunch after a mass outflow of deposits, which management attributed to an 'information attack' via internet forums, SMS, and ICQ. In November 2008, the bank requested financial assistance from the Bank of Russia and the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA). A general agreement on financial rehabilitation was signed on 4 December 2008 between the DIA, Probusinessbank, and Bank24.ru. In January 2009, Probusinessbank's acquisition of Bank24.ru negatively affected the former's reputation, with its rating downgraded from stable to negative. In September 2009, Bank24.ru was fined 70,000 rubles for sending advertising SMS messages to clients without their consent, in violation of antitrust legislation. On 16 September 2014, the Bank of Russia revoked the bank's banking license by order No. OD-2521. The reason for the revocation was unusual: the bank was in good financial health, as later liquidation with 100% repayment of obligations showed. The main reason was weak control over clients' tax evasion, particularly large-scale cash withdrawal. Following the license revocation, the Moscow Arbitration Court ordered the forced liquidation of Bank24.ru on 14 November 2014. The liquidation process is being conducted by the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) and, as of the end of 2025, has not been completed due to newly discovered circumstances and consideration of creditors' claims filed after the register closure date.

• Founded as Uralkontaktbank

• Rebranded to Bank24.ru after new owners took over

• Criminal case 'Bank24.ru Case' initiated

• Joined Life financial group

• Financial rehabilitation agreement signed with DIA and Probusinessbank

• Fined 70,000 rubles for unsolicited SMS advertising

• Banking license revoked by Bank of Russia

• Moscow Arbitration Court ordered forced liquidation

Pioneer of remote banking services in Russia

• Online banking

  Remote account management services for individuals and businesses.

• Deposits

  Deposit products for individuals and legal entities.

• Bank24.ru Case

• Unsolicited SMS advertising fine

Read more

1. 1Bank24.ru on Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Банк24.ру on Russian Wikipediaru.wikipedia.org