Russia’s national telecommunication operator Rostelecom inked an agreement earlier this month with Sitronics, the country’s largest producer of microelectronic devices, to produce microchips containing the electronic signatures of Russian citizens. These microchips are to be integrated to conventional banking cards, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Pavel Vrublevsky, the founder and main owner of electronic payment company ChronoPay, was arrested last Thursday, being suspected of having organized a cyber attack on the website of Assist, a competitor ChronoPay, in an attempt to block payment transactions with the Aeroflot website.
VimpelCom, a major Russian mobile operator working under the Beeline brand, announced this week the creation of a new payment system named Ruru. The Ruru payment system, now accessible via the euphoniously named website Ruru.ru and on mobile devices using an Android application, allows users to pay for mobile phone or Internet accounts, train tickets …
VimpelCom positions itself on fast growing electronic payment market Read More
Cyberplat announced yesterday that Visa cardholders in Russia can now replenish their bank accounts using Cyberplat’s cash payment terminals and ATMs. Cyberplat, a competitor of Qiwi, has the second largest payment teminal network in Russia and some of the other former Soviet republics, with over 480,000 machines. In order to replenish their account, users just …
Cyberplat partners with Visa to replenish bank accounts with cash Read More
Starting from last week, the users of select online gaming services provided by Mail.ru Group, a leading Russian Internet player, are no longer able to replenish their accounts through the Yandex.Dengi payment system owned by Mail.ru Group’s local archrival Yandex. The group has reduced the number of services for which it will accept payment through …
Mail.ru Group stops accepting payments for online games through rival Yandex.Dengi Read More
As of June 1, VimpelCom, a leading mobile operator in Russia under the Beeline brand, will begin testing their wireless payment system, developed by Ambiq Technologies, in the St. Petersburg subway system. The mobile phone add-on was unveiled two months ago by Ambiq Tech St. Petersburg, the Russian branch of American company Ambiq Technologies.
PayPal, the leading international online payment company, has according to unnamed sources taken “the strategic decision” to enter the Russian market, reported RBC Daily. The business daily also reported—and PayPal confirmed to EWDN—that PayPal is holding discussions with MTS, VimpelCom and MegaFon, Russia’s leading mobile operators.
MTS, a leading Russian mobile operator and retailer, announced last Friday the launch of co-branded MasterCard credit cards under the name of MTS Dengi (“MTS Money” in Russian). The cards are being issued by the Moscow Bank for Reconstruction and Development (MBRD).
Ambiq Tech St. Petersburg, the Russian branch of American company Ambiq Technologies, yesterday unveiled a mobile phone add-on for Russian customers. Based on Near Field Communication technology, a short-range wireless connectivity standard, the insert allows customers to use their phone as a discount card or a payment instrument linked to their bank account.
The reports covers: Main market trends Shoppers Merchants Emerging models Payment issues
Qiwi’s offline and online payment systems can no longer be used to replenish the accounts of a dozen Russian electronic currencies, as of March 15. The affected e-currencies include Yandex.Dengi – one of the two leading Russian e-currencies; MoneyMail – the e-currency of Mail.ru, a leading web portal; and a range of minor e-currencies.
According to the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), a leading Russian poll institute, 40% of Russian citizens (46.2 million) hold one or more bank cards, but only 5% of them use their cards for online payments. Among active cardholders the number rises to 18%.
