Sberbank has opened a new office in Blagoveshchensk, aiming to better serve Chinese clients who prefer banking in their native language. The initiative underscores the bank’s broader push to accommodate multilingual customers and expand its cross-border financial footprint in the region. Anatoly Popov, the deputy chairman of Sberbank’s board of directors, confirmed the development and highlighted the practical steps the bank is taking to make services accessible in Chinese.
In practical terms, customer service at the Blagoveshchensk office is delivered in Chinese through the use of specialized tablets. These devices integrate text-to-speech capabilities and translation features, allowing staff to guide clients through product details, account setup, and routine transactions without language barriers. The tablets are part of a broader digital toolkit designed to streamline consultations and ensure accurate conveyance of information in Chinese. This approach reflects a growing trend among financial institutions to leverage technology for multilingual support, enhancing the customer experience for international clients.
According to the bank’s press service, clients can rely on Chinese-language ATMs and navigation systems, with staff training aligned to ensure smooth operation. The location’s employees are also learning Chinese to improve in-person communication and responsiveness. This bilingual service model is intended to reduce friction for Chinese customers and to demonstrate Sberbank’s commitment to meeting diverse client needs across borders. The emphasis on language accessibility is framed as a core component of daily operations rather than a temporary arrangement.
From the bank’s product perspective, the most popular offerings among retail customers in China include debit cards, coupled with their insurance coverage, subscription services, and foreign exchange transactions. This insight suggests a product mix aligned with the spending and remittance patterns common to customers who travel or conduct business between Russia and China. By highlighting these products, Sberbank signals its intent to connect Chinese consumer needs with practical, everyday financial tools that support both personal finance and cross-border trade.
In a related development, on October 17 Sberbank registered as a foreign portfolio investor with regulatory approval in India. Popov noted that holding an Indian license opens avenues for participation in trading activities and potential investments within India’s evolving financial markets. This strategic step broadens the bank’s geographic scope and presents opportunities to diversify its international portfolio while exploring new avenues for capital deployment and risk management in a rising economy.
The bank has previously translated its own ATMs for self-service transactions, illustrating a consistent emphasis on user-friendly interfaces and client empowerment. This historical detail helps contextualize the current initiative as part of a sustained effort to simplify complex financial processes for non-native speakers and to foster a more inclusive banking environment across multiple jurisdictions.