In Russia, Sber ‘Removes’ the Border With China by Expanding Cross-Border Digital Services
Sber’s expansion of digital services aims to give Russians in China seamless access to payments and familiar interfaces without additional restrictions
Cross-Border Services Without Barriers
At the Russia–China Energy Business Forum, Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman of Sber’s Executive Board, announced that the bank is strengthening cooperation with Chinese payment providers. The goal is to ensure that Russians in China can conduct transactions through familiar interfaces and without extra limitations.
The forum brought together leading Chinese AI experts — including the authors of AI 2041, Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan — as well as researchers from Anhui, Tsinghua and Qingdao universities. Their talks attracted more than 4,000 attendees on-site, while the online broadcast surpassed 115 million views from 190 countries within the first two days.
Vedyakhin emphasized that this level of interest signals readiness for deeper scientific and technological cooperation.
Strengthening the Partnership
For Sber, cross-border expansion opens new opportunities to develop services tailored to the specifics of the Chinese market, meeting growing customer needs — from convenient payments to AI-powered digital tools.
Developing digital infrastructure is a key part of the bank’s strategy in foreign markets. Sber plans to strengthen its partnerships with Chinese payment systems to ensure users can make smooth, uninterrupted transactions and access Sber’s own services in a familiar digital environment.
