Russia to Launch Nationwide Biometric Payment System in 2025

The project is set to begin with an initial rollout in Moscow’s Metro system in 2024. Face Pay, already in use in Moscow’s subway and several other cities like Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod, allows commuters to make payments by scanning their faces. By the second half of 2025, the system will expand across the country, enabling users to register their biometric data through their banking apps and make payments at any terminal, regardless of their bank.

Dmitry Malykh, Senior Vice President at Sber, confirmed the timeline, stating, “The project roadmap has already been established, and the network launch is slated for the second half of 2025. We are developing a biometric payment standard, based on which other market participants will be able to launch their biometric services.”