Russian banks have been routinely forcing customers to accept advertising subscriptions when applying for cards by embedding consents into documents in advance or making it impossible to proceed without agreeing.
Izvestia identified the practice after analyzing numerous client complaints, FAS decisions, and court rulings from 2026. Affected institutions include Rosselkhozbank, VTB, Alfa-Bank, Gazprombank, and Ozon Bank.
The consent is often not the result of individual employee actions but is built into standard application forms or the digital process itself. For example, the St. Petersburg office of FAS discovered pre-filled advertising consents in VTB paperwork. A court in Ufa determined that Alfa-Bank terms did not allow customers to refuse advertising separately from other conditions.
Moscow FAS issued a formal warning to Ozon Bank after finding that consent was automatically enabled upon login to the personal account. The Bank of Russia confirmed to the publication that pre-ticked boxes for advertising mailings are not permitted under current rules.
FAS stressed that any consent for marketing must be given voluntarily and documented as a distinct action. According to the Bank of Russia position, refusing advertising must not affect the approval or issuance of credit products.
Experts interviewed by the outlet recommend that customers keep screenshots of all documents, record every refusal request in writing, and file complaints with regulators when violations occur.
