Sber and the Center for Biometric Technologies Partner to Advance Digital Identity Services
Sber has formalized a technology collaboration with the Center for Biometric Technologies at the Digital Industry of the Industrial Russia forum in Nizhny Novgorod. The agreement, announced by the bank’s press service, focuses on coordinating the development of biometric technologies and related services across the organization.
The document was signed by Oksana Smirnova-Krell, Vice President of Ecosystem Technological Development at Sberbank, and Vladislav Povolotsky, CEO of the Center for Biometric Technologies. The leaders described the partnership as a strategic step to enhance biometric capabilities and align with evolving regulatory and market requirements.
Smirnova-Krell noted that Sber currently processes more than five million biometric authentication transactions each month for around three million unique customers. Additionally, more than 30 million individuals have entrusted their biometric data to the bank. This scale underlines the importance of secure and efficient identity solutions in delivering seamless financial services.
As regulatory frameworks evolve, the bank is preparing to integrate biometric data with the state’s Unified Biometric System. Information and data transfer are planned to begin as early as June, contingent on customer consent and regulatory clarity. Given the bank’s customer base, the process will require careful planning and execution, but it will be carried out in full compliance with all regulatory requirements to ensure a smooth transition to a new storage and usage framework for invisible biometrics.
Senior leadership emphasized that this alliance with the Center for Biometric Technologies will help accelerate the deployment of biometric services in the country and optimize their integration with public sector initiatives. The collaboration is expected to drive more efficient adoption of biometric solutions across both traditional and remote banking channels.
Povolotsky added that Sber is committed to advancing biometric technologies while meeting legal obligations and pursuing new service offerings. The partnership envisions expanding the biometric ecosystem beyond branch-based registration, enabling more services to be performed remotely. Customers may open accounts, fund deposits, and apply for loans without in-person visits, broadening access to financial services across the nation. In the coming years, the Center for Biometric Technologies and Sber plan to explore customer needs and co-create new solutions where biometrics can play a pivotal role in everyday banking.