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- Superfluous contacts: Russia intends to launch a full-fledged analog of Apple Pay in 2025th
Superfluous contacts: Russia intends to launch a full-fledged analog of Apple Pay in 2025th
Banks are working on a new technology for paying for purchases with smartphones via Bluetooth. Inthe second half of 2025, Sber plans to introduce such a service, Izvestia found out. The new mechanism will allow to pay for purchases in the usual contactless way - and for users of both iPhone and Android technology. On the preparation of a pilot of a similar technology previously stated in the NSPK. Banks Dom.RF, Novikom and Zenith want to join the testing, said the credit organizations. The new mechanism will be more convenient than stickers for iPhone and payment by QR, experts believe. However, it will be necessary to make sure that the issues of security and compatibility of terminals with this technology are solved. How the new payment method will work - in the material of "Izvestia".
When in Russia will appear a new method of contactless payment by iPhone
Russian credit organizations are preparing to offer a new mechanism of payment for purchases via Bluetooth. Sber plans to launch such a service already in the second half of 2025, the bank's senior vice-president Dmitry Malykh told Izvestia. According to him, the system will work like Apple Pay. It will allow customers to pay for purchases by simply attaching a smartphone to the terminal, regardless of the operating system of the device - Android or iOS.
Sber's terminals are compatible with this technology - payment can take place via Bluetooth with the help of customers' mobile applications, said Dmitry Malykh.
The National Payment Card System (NPCS)announced plans to develop a similar technology called "Wave" in October 2024.
Bank Dom.RF is ready to join its testing, earlier it was already discussed with colleagues from the NSPC, said the director of digital products for business of the financial organization Oleg Komlik. He specified: the pilot is planned to be held next year. It is assumed that the NSPK will provide the necessary technology, and banks will be able to implement improvements on their side.
The technology of payment via Bluetooth is also interesting to Novikom - it will simplify the payment of purchases, said the press service of the credit organization. They added: the bank follows the strategy of innovations and is ready to try out the new mechanism as soon as the NSPK will be given clarifications.
Zenith also reported that they are interested in joining the testing.
So far, only a prototype of the solution has been presented. However, the new technology should return iPhone owners the ability to pay for purchases in the usual contactless way, reported earlier CEO of the NSPK Dmitry Dubynin. It is assumed that the service will work both online and in the absence of the Internet. However, special payment terminals of a new kind will be needed to use this technology.
The Central Bank supports the initiatives of market participants aimed at the development of payment technologies convenient for citizens, the press service of the Bank of Russia told Izvestia.
How problems with contactless payment arose
Before the introduction of sanctions, Russia became the second country in the world in terms of the number of Apple Pay users, recalled Alexei Tarapovsky, founder of Anderida Financial Group. However, in March 2022 Apple Pay and Google Pay stopped working in Russia. Then about 90% of users said that it was an inconvenience for them.
For Android users, there is a Mir Pay solution that covers the needs of businesses and shoppers, said Vladislav Laptev, innovation director at fintech developer and integrator Fork-Tech. It allows customers to pay for purchases in the usual contactless way and ensures the security of payments.
However, the issue of launching a new payment method remains extremely urgent for iOS smartphones - everything is much more complicated with them due to the lack of developers' access to NFC, explained Vladislav Laptev. Due to this Mir Pay technology cannot be used on iPhones.
Quite quickly for such clients they developed an alternative: payment stickers and payment by QR codes, said Alexei Tarapovsky. However, stickers wear out quickly and may not work, noted Vladislav Laptev. And QR codes require time for scanning. Besides, their action depends on the availability of the Internet, which is not always convenient.
How payment via Bluetooth for iPhone will work
Bluetooth-payment does not depend on Apple's ecosystem, which gives it an advantage in conditions of sanctions, emphasized Vladislav Laptev from Fork-Tech. He explained: the plan is probably to create a project similar to the PayPal Beacon solution launched back in 2013. As in the case of PayPal, it is supposed to use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology.
Unlike Apple Pay, the basic principle of the service was the automatic detection of the client in the store. After identification, the person had to confirm his presence. Then a request for payment was formed, it was sent to the user closest to the terminal (it was detected using BLE). After that, the client received a transaction request in the mobile application. He was only required to confirm the payment using biometrics or a code sent via Push notification or SMS, the expert said.
- Payment via Bluetooth involves establishing a secure connection between the buyer's device and the terminal. Unlike Apple Pay, which uses NFC, Bluetooth has greater range and flexibility. However, new encryption and tokenization standards will be required to ensure security," added Artem Zhuravlev, director of product Method at fintech company Paygine.
Most likely, the technology will be available to a wide audience in 2026, he added. However, we need to make sure that security and compatibility issues are resolved.
The introduction of such technology will be a strategically important step, said Ruslan Permyakov, deputy director of the NTI Competence Center "Trusted Interaction Technologies" on the basis of TUSUR. According to him, the new solution will help meet the needs of mobile device users, including those in the international market.
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