Being an indicator of the development of the national economy, small and medium-sized businesses do not have extensive opportunities to attract sufficient funding, which is the basis of the functioning of any sector of the economy, which necessitates the formation of an effective credit system. The paper analyzes the possibility of introducing new lending instruments into the Russian financial system, including through the transplantation of foreign experience. The main directions of modernization of the credit system of Russia are highlighted: development of government programs to stimulate credit and microfinance organizations, a combination of subsidies and concessional lending, improvement of registers of movable property and intangible assets and the introduction of crowdfunding platforms.