February 20, 2014. Having to meet the consumer lending bill's requirements (the bill is to come into effect on July 1, 2014) might affect the business of Sberbank, its performance results and its prospects badly, a memorandum on Sberbank's Eurobond issue says, according to Prime.

The new bill on consumer lending was adopted in December 2013. The document says that the full value of a consumer loan cannot exceed the market's average (as calculated by the Central Bank) by more than one-third. The borrowing party is allowed to give the money back before the end of the loan period and without notifying the bank within 14 days (or 30 days for special-purpose loans) and will only have to pay the interest in this case. In addition, substantial changes were introduced in terms of data banks must provide their customers with.

'If one considers the fact that Sberbank's retail segment is a large part of the business, the new limitations and requirements might result in a decrease in the interest income and an increase in operating costs, which, in its turn, could make a negative impact on Sberbank's business, transaction results, financial terms, and prospects,' the memo says.