In the near future, banks will develop an innovative system for paying for goods and services using smartphones. As early as the second half of 2025, this technology may be implemented in Sberbank's operations.
The new method will allow customers to make purchases without cash or cards, using only a smartphone. At the same time, it will be compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Presumably, payment will be made via Bluetooth in customers' mobile applications. Sberbank terminals support this technology. Dmitry Malykh, Senior Vice President of the bank, clarified that the system will work like Apple Pay.
In October, specialists from the National Payment Card System (NSPK) announced plans to create a similar technology called "Volna." This contactless payment method will be available to both iOS and Android device owners.
Some financial institutions, such as Dom.RF, Novikom, and Zenit, have stated that they are ready to participate in testing "Volna."
Before the introduction of restrictions in 2020, Russia ranked second in the world in terms of the number of Apple Pay users. But in March 2022, Apple Pay and Google Pay stopped functioning in Russia. Applications of banks that fell under sanctions (VTB, Sber, and others) were removed from the App Store.
Currently, owners of smartphones with the Android operating system can make contactless payments using the Mir Pay application. It can be installed through RuStore and AppGallery services from Huawei.
In the Google Play app store for Android devices, there are no longer any mobile applications of the Mir payment system for smartphone payment Mir Pay and SBPey.
Earlier www1.ru reported that Mir cards occupied more than half of the Russian market after Visa and Mastercard left. However, after a while, NSPK, which is the operator of Mir cards, fell under the latest US sanctions. Representatives of the company assured that cardholders in Russia would not have problems using them. Both SBP and cards issued by Russian banks within the framework of international payment systems Visa, MasterCard and UnionPay will be available.
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