Sberbank, the largest bank in Russia, created an alternative to Apple Pay which does not function in the country and iPhone users can use it.
In 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and international sanctions imposed on Russia, iPhone users in Russia lost their ability to make payments through NFC and Apple Pay.
Now, Sberbank has found a way around the sanctions by launching the ability to pay using an iPhone through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
To use this method, iPhone owners need to install the Asset Online app from the App Store and grant it permission to access Bluetooth. The App Store informs that Aidai Zamirbekova is the developer of this app.
Sberbank customers can only use Assets Online to pay at stores where new Sber Bank point-of-sale (POS) terminals have been installed. Currently, there are about 1.2 million such terminals in Russia.
Sberbank is on the sanction lists of the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
