Stay on Track: YooMoney Streamlines In-Store Payments
Russian fintech company YooMoney, which develops payment solutions, has redesigned its interface for in-store purchases. A single icon on the screen now provides access to a QR code scanner, loyalty cards and contactless payments through YooPay.
Previously, shoppers had to switch between sections of the app, or even between different apps, to show a loyalty card, pay with their phone or scan a QR code. Now all three options are available from a single access point, with the features arranged to match the way people actually shop at the checkout.
No Extra Steps
To make contactless payments with YooPay, users need an Android smartphone running Android 9 or later, NFC support, and a YooMoney bank card. They can then add a dedicated icon to their phone's home screen for quick access to the payment interface.
“Using YooPay at checkout cuts the number of steps needed to pay and helps make the process hassle-free,” said Elena Yevgenyeva, a product manager at YooMoney.
This is part of a broader shift in digital financial services toward simpler, more context-aware interfaces that make things easier for users by reducing the number of actions and simplifying choices. A customer-focused approach helps businesses build and retain loyalty. An app's feature set matters, but so does how quickly shoppers can access the function they need in a particular situation, such as at a self-checkout kiosk, where every extra step can hold up the line.
Alternative Payment Methods
Russians are increasingly turning to cashless payment methods that do not rely on bank cards, including Bluetooth, QR codes and biometrics. In 2025, QR code and biometric payments accounted for 4 billion transactions worth 5.7 trillion rubles (approximately $70.8 billion). According to the Bank of Russia, the total number of transactions involving e-wallets reached 8.8 billion over the same period, a 1.4-fold increase. Their combined value amounted to 13.3 trillion rubles (approximately $165.1 billion).
Russia's Faster Payments System (FPS) is also expanding. Last year, the number of businesses accepting payments through the system grew by 36%, bringing the total to around 3 million. Together, these trends are creating favorable conditions for further development of apps that bring multiple payment methods together in a single interface.
As it improves financial services for Russian consumers, YooMoney is also adapting them for international users. More than 70% of users of its tourist card are Chinese citizens, suggesting that the company may expand its payment options to better meet their needs.
The Infrastructure Behind In-Store Payments
YooMoney has been developing services for in-store purchases for years. In 2022, it introduced QR code payments through the Faster Payments System at physical stores using its YooKassa payment service, integrating the service with 1C software. This helped small and midsize businesses reduce payment processing costs and avoid the expense of purchasing and maintaining payment terminals. Shoppers, meanwhile, could pay without taking out a bank card.
In 2023, the company began issuing contactless payment stickers equipped with NFC chips and built on Russia's Mir payment system. In 2024, YooKassa added Flexible QR, making it easier for businesses to accept in-person payments: a single QR code can be used to present different bills one after another.
In 2025, YooMoney launched YooPay, a contactless payment service for Android smartphones that is also convenient for international tourists. Visitors without a Mir card can get one for free directly in the app as a virtual card. In August 2026, the company also introduced a full Chinese-language version of its website and mobile app, tailored to tourists from China.
The Competition for Users
The payment infrastructure is now in place. The next challenge is to make it as convenient as possible for users. As companies compete for customers, they will do more than add new payment methods. They will combine them into intuitive shopping flows that cover the entire experience: making a purchase, applying a discount, paying and earning rewards. Over time, apps could personalize their interfaces based on individual customer needs, for example, by displaying the features people use most often on the home screen. This could make customer interactions simpler and faster for businesses, while giving consumers a more convenient and efficient way to pay.
