Russia’s Ministry of Finance plans to limit the use of foreign messengers at work

The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation (Mincifra) has come forward with an initiative to restrict the use of foreign messengers for working purposes in certain sectors. The relevant provisions are included in a draft law which is now at the stage of being agreed with the authorities concerned.

Which messengers will fall under the restrictions?

The proposed bill would ban the use of messengers owned by foreign legal entities or citizens to exchange text and voice messages, images, audio and video content, as well as other types of electronic data. This ban is planned to apply to employees in the following areas:

• marketplaces and delivery services (when interacting with users);
• credit organizations and the Central Bank of Russia;
• communication operators;
• state and regional employees.

Alternative: Russian messengers with identification

Employees and civil servants will only be able to use messengers developed by Russian legal entities or citizens. Identification through the Unified System of Identification and Authentication (USIA) will be a mandatory condition, which will ensure data protection and unification of interaction.

At the same time, employees and civil servants will be able to use only those messengers developed by Russian legal entities or citizens.

Changes in legislation

The bill amends a number of key statutes, including:

• Consumer Protection Law;
• Law “On Banks and Banking Activity”;
• Law “On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation”;
• Law “On Communications”;
• Law “On State Civil Service of the Russian Federation”;
• Law “On General Principles of Organization of Public Power in the Subjects of the Russian Federation”;

The implementation of these norms is planned to begin on September 1, 2026.

The implementation of these norms is planned to begin on September 1, 2026.

Corporate messenger market: growth potential

The corporate messenger segment in Russia is demonstrating high growth rates. According to J’son & Partners Consulting, in 2023 the market volume amounted to 2.8 billion rubles, and by 2028 it may increase to 28.2 billion rubles at an average growth rate of 59% per year. Popular Russian solutions already include products from IVA Technologies, Truconf, as well as platforms from MTS, VEON, Yandex and VK.

So far, the market is already growing at an average annual growth rate of 59%.