Owners of Qiwi wallets can now apply for a refund on the service’s website, as confirmed by “Vedomosti”. Previously, refunds could be requested by sending an application through the Russian Post or by visiting a Qiwi office. Users lost access to funds from Qiwi Bank electronic wallets on February 21 when the Bank of Russia revoked its license.
As reported by TASS, wallet owners must fill out a form and attach a photo of their Russian passport to request a refund. The form requires passport details, SNILS, INN, account details for the refund, and a mailing address. The application is processed within 30 days of receipt, as stated in the form.
According to data from the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA), the total obligations to clients amount to several tens of billion rubles. In particular, the amount of funds held by legal entities as of early February was 18.4 billion rubles. The volume of funds in 9.3 million electronic wallets was 4.4 billion rubles. DIA estimated its insurance liability at 4.3 billion rubles. Almost 300 individuals, around 11,000 individual entrepreneurs, and 9,000 legal entities will be eligible for insurance compensation.
The Central Bank cited violations of requirements in the area of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing as the reason for revoking Qiwi Bank’s license. A temporary administration has been appointed at the credit institution. On March 4, DIA filed a lawsuit on behalf of Qiwi Bank against its owners – Qiwi JSC, Hong Kong-based company Fusion Factor Fintech Limited, and Qiwi. Later, the Central Bank filed a lawsuit in the Moscow Arbitration Court for the forced liquidation of Qiwi Bank.