Russian state-run bank VTB is testing facial-payment technology at supermarkets and could deploy it on a wider basis by the middle of the year, Dairy News reported.
Russia’s second-largest lender is testing the technology in the Lenta supermarket chain, the head of the bank’s digital division told Izvestia.
VTB was the first to provide such an opportunity with the help of the Unified Biometric System (EBS) in Lenta supermarkets, the daily newspaper writes.
“Lenta stores are testing the purchase procedure using biometrics – VTB and Rostelecom provided this opportunity,” Nikita Chugunov, head of the bank’s digital business department, told Izvestia.
Promsvyazbank, another Russian lender, is holding talks to launch the technology in other supermarket chains next year, the paper said, citing a top manager at the bank.
Promsvyazbank is also negotiating with several retail chains about the introduction of face-to-face payments: pilot projects are planned to be launched at the beginning of 2021, according to Olga Aleksyuk, head of the Center for Competence of Innovative Technologies in Digital Business at the credit organization.
