Russia’s Major Banks Roll Out Palm-Vein Payment Systems
VTB and Sberbank are developing palm-vein recognition technology that could evolve into a new nationwide biometric payment system.
At the FINOPOLIS 2025 forum, VTB Bank and the Center for Biometric Technologies unveiled a prototype terminal equipped with an infrared sensor that scans a person’s palm veins. The technology has successfully passed pilot testing in VTB’s Accelerator program. When a user places their palm over the scanner, the system reads the unique vein pattern, identifies the customer, and withdraws funds from the linked account.
Meanwhile, Sberbank is reviving its own palm-payment solution on a new technical platform. The key advantage, the bank says, is compatibility with its existing “Smile-to-Pay” terminals already deployed in retail networks.
Palm biometrics combine maximum security with convenience: the vascular structure of each palm is unique—even among identical twins—and almost impossible to forge. Unlike facial recognition systems, palm scanners can be installed anywhere and at any angle. Customers will be able to choose their preferred identification method—face, voice, or palm.
The vein-pattern samples will be stored in Russia’s Unified Biometric System alongside other biometric data, while transaction processing will rely on the infrastructure of participating commercial banks.
Industry experts see the initiative as the next logical step in the evolution of contactless payment technology.
