Territorial structure of the Russian banking system (late 1980s — early 2020s) in the context of international historical experience

The article, based on statistical data and other information, is focused on the development of the geographical features of the Russian banking business from the initial market reforms of 1987–1988 to the present day. The above-mentioned issues are considered in the context of similar territorial shifts in the banking systems of a number of foreign countries. It is noted that soon after the start of reforms in Russia, there was an explosive growth in the number of banks. Accordingly, the number of cities in which banking headquarters were located increased at approximately the same rate. However, already from 1993–1995, competition mechanisms reversed these trends. A very similar change in trends was observed at the same time in a number of other post-Soviet republics and former Comecon countries that were making the transition to a market economy. However, in relatively small countries, during the 1990s and 2000s, there could be a complete return of banking management functions to national capital cities, while in Russia (where Moscow also has strengthened its leadership position) there are still dozens of cities with their own credit corporations. This geographic diversity and some other factors provide grounds for comparing Russia not with its neighbors in the former socialist camp, but with the United States. A new set of comparisons shows both the fundamental similarity of some trends and the sharp difference between the two countries in the role of the administrative-territorial factor.