Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2020
Closure and customer-retention backlash
The introduction of paid tariffs, cancellation of loyalty benefits, and suspension of new customer onboarding during the wind-down drew criticism from customers and fintech commentators. The episode was presented as evidence of Rocketbank's dependence on partners and the absence of a durable standalone business model.
2018
Criticism of expenditure explanations for account unlocking
Rocketbank faced criticism after introducing a practice that required some customers to explain cash expenditures before accounts could be unlocked. Opponents described the policy as intrusive and indicative of weaknesses in operational and compliance processes.
2017
Major card-service outage
A cable failure at a Moscow data center reportedly disrupted all Rocketbank cards. Although the company attributed the incident to an external infrastructure failure, customers and commentators questioned the resilience of the service's technical platform.
2013
Public dispute with Oleg Tinkov
From 2013 onward, Tinkoff Bank founder Oleg Tinkov publicly mocked Rocketbank's business model, at times characterizing it as commercially unviable and offering to buy it for a nominal amount. The dispute increased Rocketbank's public visibility but also highlighted doubts about its scale, differentiation, and profitability.