Russia's Anti-Fraud 3.0 to slash SIM sellers and ban preloaded funds

Russia's Finance Ministry is drafting Anti-Fraud 3.0, which would sharply cut the number of SIM card sellers, reserving number registration for direct dealers and requiring new SIMs to be sold with no preloaded funds until a service contract is signed. Industry estimates say intermediaries account for nearly half of physical SIM purchases in Russia.

• Number registration would be limited to operators' direct dealers
• New SIM cards would ship with no preloaded balance
• Intermediaries account for almost half of physical SIM sales
• Sites and apps would have to keep login records for three years