People are increasingly using QR codes, e-wallets, biometric data, and other services for cashless and cardless payments, according to recent statistics from the Bank of Russia. Between January and March 2025, such transactions rose by about one-third compared to the previous year, reaching nearly 11 billion.
In the first quarter of 2025, payments made through QR codes or biometric data totaled approximately 800 million. This figure is almost double that of the same period in 2024. The total value of purchases using these methods exceeded ₽1.1 trillion, an increase of ₽389 billion.
Despite this shift towards alternative payment methods, bank cards remain the primary payment instrument. However, the number of transactions made with bank cards has been declining for two consecutive quarters. In total, there were 14.9 billion card transactions worth ₽13.6 trillion between January and March 2025, a slight increase in transaction numbers but a decrease in value by ₽0.2 trillion.
To accommodate changing consumer preferences for various payment instruments, banks have continued to enhance their payment infrastructure. In the first quarter of 2025, the number of POS terminals increased by nearly 10% year on year, totaling 4.9 million.