Sberbank’s biometric “Pay with a smile” is available to clients of all Russian banks

Previously, the service was available only to Sber customers. The credit institution noted that with this payment method, Sberbank clients will continue to receive gratitude bonuses, while clients of other banks will retain all privileges and refunds, as when paying by card.

To connect to the service, users must log in via Sber ID, select a bank card for payment, create a security code and submit biometric data. Payment at the POS terminal is made after selecting the “Pay with a smile” option, after which it is enough to look at the camera.

Sberbank launched the “Pay with a Smile” service in the summer of 2023; Since then, the company has installed around 1 million terminals with biometric payment options in retail establishments across the country, including restaurants. The agency clarifies that Sberbank plans to expand the network of biometric terminals to 2 million by the end of 2025.

According to a survey conducted in October by VTsIOM, the concept of “biometrics” is familiar to 68% of Russians, while in 2023 55% said so. Less than half of the country’s residents (41%) have a positive attitude towards the presentation of biometric data, while 25% and 29% are neutral and negative, respectively. 14% of respondents changed their attitude to positive in 2023-2024.

42% of Russians are willing to trust their biometric data only to government agencies, while only 2% are commercial agencies. According to the survey results, the most negative attitude towards biometric identification was found among Russians with a poor financial situation (42% of respondents in this group). There are more men (46%) than women (37%) who value biometrics positively.