Russia's central bank eases reserve rules for banks to restructure company loans

MOSCOW, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The Russian central bank said on Tuesday it had eased reserve requirements for restructured loans, a move that could help heavily indebted companies such as Russian Railways reduce their debt burden.

Russian Railways, the country's largest employer, is struggling with falling cargo volumes and higher interest rates and is discussing with banks and the government restructuring its debt, amounting to 4 trillion roubles ($51.22 billion).

Andrei Kostin, CEO of VTB Bank, Russian Railways' main creditor, said in an interview with Reuters that banks are ready to defer payments provided the central bank does not increase reserve requirements for these loans.

The central bank said on Tuesday that it had extended into the first half of 2026 its recommendations for banks to restructure loans for corporate borrowers and individual entrepreneurs facing temporary difficulties.

It added that it had eased reserve requirements in order to encourage banks to follow these recommendations.

Such borrowers include companies with a moderate debt burden that have regularly serviced their debt over the past six months and have provided a "realistic business plan" for the next three years, the central bank said.

Banks must regularly check whether borrowers are meeting their plans and create additional reserves if targets are missed.

($1 = 78.1000 roubles)

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Gleb Bryanski)