Customer protection and business interests: the market discusses the rules for marking calls

Mandatory labeling of calls from legal entities was introduced in Russia on September 1, 2025. Now, when an incoming call is made, the subscriber sees the name of the organization and information about the category of its activities. According to the operators, the launch of the mechanism allowed to reduce the volume of spam by 30%. However, there is still no answer to the main question: who and how should cover the costs of fulfilling this requirement.

For Big Four operators, labeling is a service that requires investment in infrastructure. On average, they charge 30 cents for each call attempt, even if no connection has been established. Banks consider this approach unreasonable. According to their position, the law requires the operator to bring the marking to the subscriber, while the mandatory paid contract for the initiator of the call is not provided for in it. The Association of Banks of Russia proposed to send data through the Unified Verification Platform “Anti-Throde”, rather than concluding many separate agreements. She also advocated that personalized calls, such as warnings about suspicious transactions, not be considered as mass and not blocked.

In the autumn, the confrontation intensified: operators notified banks that from October 15, 2026, calls without marking will cease to reach subscribers. After the meeting, the introduction of restrictions for credit and financial institutions was postponed until November 15. Beeline has already agreed terms with major banks. On November 11, MegaFon and MTS announced a “package solution for the financial sector”, which excludes the direct dependence of bank expenses on the number of calls.

The discussion is fueled by the financial context. By the end of 2025, MegaFon’s operating profit increased by 11.6% and amounted to 222.3 billion rubles, while capital investments decreased by almost 30%. The business community insists on a transparent justification for the cost of marking.

The conflict goes beyond the banking sector: all legal entities will have to pay – from delivery services to marketplaces. Experts believe that an agreement with one operator can become a benchmark for the entire market. All parties recognize marking as an essential tool to protect citizens. It remains to develop a fair and predictable model for its implementation.