Russian banks continue to expand the geography of QR code payments abroad. After Asian countries, CIS, Turkey, and Egypt, QR payments in Latin America have become available to customers for the first time.
As RBC found out, Sber has already launched the ability to pay for purchases via QR code in Argentina and Brazil. VTB and MTS also announced plans to enter the Latin American market. VTB expects to implement such a service by the end of 2026.
This refers to a mechanism that allows paying for goods and services abroad directly from a Russian bank account through the bank's application. After Visa and Mastercard left Russia in spring 2022, cards issued in the country stopped working abroad, and Apple Pay and Google Pay services became unavailable. Against this background, banks began to look for alternative methods of international payment.
Currently, Russians have access to about 15 destinations with QR payment through banking applications. The specific list of countries depends on the bank: when choosing destinations, tourist demand, the country's popularity among Russians, the availability of developed QR infrastructure, and the ability to build settlement chains with local partners are taken into account.
Banks do not disclose the exact volume of operations, but Sber and VTB claim that already in the first quarter of 2026, the number of foreign QR payments exceeded the figures for the entire year 2025.
Banks earn their main income from converting rubles into local currency and commissions from retail outlets. Additionally, such services help retain users within banking applications and develop related areas – from travel services to currency operations.
Earlier, MTS also launched commission-free transfers to WeChat Pay wallets, which allowed Russians to pay for purchases in China directly via QR codes.
