How is SBPey edited?
After disabling Apple Pay and Google Pay, systems suitable for contactless payment directly from a smartphone, Russia launched SBPey on April 1, with which you can pay for goods and services with a mobile gadget via QR codes.
The method is quite common in Asia, where payment terminals are not very popular. To make a payment, you need to point the device’s camera at the QR code of the business or seller, after which a special application will open.
The buyer needs to check the amount prepared for debiting and click the “Pay” button. Money will be withdrawn from the account without the need to carry a debit card with you everywhere.
SBPey is based on the Fast Payment System developed by the Central Bank of Russia. The operator not only pays, but also allows you to print a receipt. In terms of time, the process takes, on average, the same time as paying via Apple Pay or Google Pay.
So far, 54 banks have been connected to SBPey, but among them there are not many credit institutions that are popular with Russians, for example, Sberbank, Tinkoff and Alfa. First, the Central Bank of Russia asked banks to give their customers the opportunity to use the fast payment service through the SBPey mobile application until April 1. Fines were imposed for breach of deadlines.
However, on March 31, the Central Bank extended the period of connection to the system and decided not to penalize banks until July 1 this year. You can install the SBPey app on smartphones with Android operating system at least 6.0 and from iOS 13 onwards.
around the QR codes
Russian Maxim Kurganov, who has lived in China for more than five years, visited many cities, toured the southern provinces, part of the central and northern regions, told socialbites.ca that a similar QR code system has long been popular. Chinese.
According to him, there are two similar services competing with each other in China – from Tencent and Alibaba Group. Its apps are WeChat and Alipay, respectively.
“I’ve never met a person in China who doesn’t have WeChat or Alipay, I’ve never been to a store or restaurant where they wouldn’t accept payment using these services. “I once saw a homeless man on the street with a QR code affixed to a begging cart,” he said.
Kurganov explained that to pay for anything in China using a QR code, you need to create an account with a Chinese bank. The bank then issues a debit card linked to WeChat and Alipay apps.
“Basically, that’s all. The apps themselves have a QR code scanner. After scanning, you need to confirm the withdrawal with the code that appears when you connect the card to the applications or with your fingerprint. It depends on the phone model,” said the Russian.
Valery Romanov/socialbites.ca
WeChat was originally used by the Chinese as a messenger, but thanks to regular updates, the app is now an all-in-one service.
“WeChat is now a messenger, a social network, a service for booking tickets for all types of transportation, buying tickets for movies and events, paying bills, making appointments at a clinic, and much more,” he said.
According to Kurganov, in WeChat you can transfer and receive money not only using QR codes, but also directly in personal correspondence with a person.
“However, Alipay is actually a mobile wallet. The possibilities are the same as those of WeChat, except perhaps the messenger. More precisely, it is, but it is as strange to correspond in it, as, for example, in the Sberbank chat, ”she added.
Alipay is the main payment system in Alibaba, Taobao, TMall and many other Chinese marketplaces.
Why QR?
According to Maxim Kurganov, there are several reasons why China has implemented a QR code payment system. At first, he suggested that this was done for the convenience of users.
“After all, it is convenient when a person concentrates all the services for his life in one application, which can be paid for in one click,” the Russian said.
Valery Romanov/socialbites.ca
However, he later pointed out that applications can analyze all user actions and get a lot of information about himself. So an app contains all the data about a citizen: what he ate, where he went, how much electricity he burned, what movie he watched.
“Possibly this information will make you more mindful of spending. What else does it seem necessary for, right?” Kurganov noted.
When did this QR code explosion in payment systems happen? Alibaba launched Alipay in 2004, but this payment system became widespread with the development of Chinese marketplaces in the 2010s.
“Paying with a QR code increases conversion for an online store. The Russian believes that between the consumer and the desire to purchase a product on the Internet, the sequence “find a card – enter data in the payment form – confirm the transaction – pay successfully”.
According to him, the logic of the QR code system in China is based on the fact that offline stores no longer need to look for plastic cards or cash wallets. With such a system, the possibility of theft is also minimized, Kurganov is sure.
“I think the trend towards cashless payments in the world has been around for a long time and will only get bigger. “For example, China was one of the first countries to start testing the digital yuan, which seems to me a logical step in the technological world.”
What about Apple Pay or Google Pay in China? The Russian noted that this is not a success in an Asian country. “Apple Pay appears to have been declared valid and appears to be available. But why?” Kurganov was taken aback.
According to him, in China, of course, there are alternatives – cash yuan and debit cards. “I only used them on one of my first visits to China. Since 2013 this story is over, I switched to WeChat and Alipay,” he said.
The Russian added that Chinese QR systems also work in other countries of the region. “From my personal experience in Thailand, I was able to pay for purchases using Alipay at one of the 7-Eleven stores,” Kurganov said.
Source: Gazeta
