Published May 22, 2026
VPN and banking apps: how to keep access to your bank
Russian banking apps often refuse a foreign IP address. Here is how to use a VPN and still keep access to your bank through split routing.
What the problem is
When you turn on an ordinary VPN, all of your traffic goes through a foreign server, and to your bank you look like a user from another country. In response, Russian banking apps and websites may ask for extra verification, limit operations or refuse to open at all β this is anti-fraud protection.
The result is a vicious circle: without a VPN the sites you need stay blocked, and with a VPN the bank starts acting up.
The solution β split routing
A proper VPN can split your traffic. Russian services β banks, government portals, marketplaces β go directly and keep a Russian IP address, while everything else is routed through a foreign server that bypasses blocks.
- The banking app sees the usual Russian IP, so verification checks do not trigger.
- Blocked sites and social networks still open.
- You do not have to turn the VPN off by hand before opening the bank.
What it means in practice
You keep the VPN on at all times: card payments, bank sign-in and SBP transfers work as usual, while YouTube, social media and foreign services open with no blocks. One subscription covers both scenarios.
In Fiery VPN, split routing for Russian services is configured on every server β banking apps keep working with a Russian IP even while the VPN is active.