Russia Sees Surge in Digital Mortgage Deals as Smart City Tech Expands

One in three mortgages in Russia is now completed online, with digital tools transforming not just home buying but also construction and utility maintenance.

The digitalization of the housing sector in Russia is accelerating. In the first half of 2025, 31.5% of all mortgage deals were finalized through digital platforms—more than three times higher than the second half of 2024, when just 10% of deals were done online.

Most online mortgage applications were for new residential properties, accounting for 91.6% of all digital deals. Loans secured by existing property made up 7.4%, while only 1% of online activity focused on secondary market purchases. The figures were reported by Sberbank to CNews.

Geographically, Moscow led the country with 12% of digital mortgage activity, followed by the Moscow Region (10%) and the Sverdlovsk Region (5.2%).

The demographic leading the charge into digital mortgages were Russians aged 31–40, who were responsible for 54% of all online transactions. Young adults under 30 made up 23%, and users aged 41–50 followed closely behind at 21%.

But the use of modern technology goes beyond just financing homes. Across Russian regions, city planners are using digital twins—virtual models of buildings and streets—to simulate decisions, identify potential problems in advance, and reduce construction costs.

In public utilities, the technology is already paying off. For instance, a digital twin of a municipal waterworks system can pinpoint a leak within 10 minutes to within a meter. As a result, repair times have dropped to as little as 30–40 minutes.