Imagine not needing a wallet or a phone to make a purchase. Imagine that all you need is your smile. Sounds unrealistic, strange, scary… Probably all of it. But also pretty cool!
Nowadays, we’re used to mobile banking, contactless payment and online shopping. But Sberbank (Russia’s largest bank) has gone further and now you can pay with just your smile. The system is called “Smile to Pay” and it uses facial recognition to process payments where a person smiling confirms the payment. It’s fast and very convenient for the customers (РБК, 2025).
Launched in 2023 as a response to Apple Pay and Google Pay leaving the Russian market, this technology connects a unique ID to a customer’s biometrics data. This ID is also linked to the customer’s bank account (Bikker, 2025). At first it was only Sberbank’s customers who could use Smile to Pay but now it’s available to all banks across Russia. Like many technologies, it first rolled out in the major Russian cities such as Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk. Now, in 2025, it has expanded to most regions of Russia (GFCN, 2025). It has gained popularity among customers because of its convenience but also because Sberbank introduced loyalty programs like receiving cashback. The benefits for the business include faster processing time, less queues and less customers leaving without purchases due to a forgotten phone or a wallet (РБК, 2025).
Some IT experts, however, do not recommend using this technology because this biometrics data is easier to fake with just a photo and some gen AI. The data is less secure than finger prints or retina scans (Бояршина, 2023). Additionally, it’s hard to know how much we can trust the Russian government to have biometrics of its citizens. Even if the bank states that the data is stored securely and cannot be stolen, the government still has access to it. In a country where basically everything is controlled, it’s easy to imagine that your smile will be more than just a payment method but also a tool for surveillance.
Personally I’m not comfortable using it right now because I don’t want to give the Russian government more ways to track where and when I go. However, this technology is slowly being adopted in other countries too, for example, China and the US are both adopting Smile to Pay into their services (Bikker, 2025 & Morgan, 2024). Does that mean that it is the future and inevitably it’s going to become a standard payment method across the world? I don’t know…
In the end, Smile to Pay goes beyond a simple innovation. It offers a vision of the future where payments are easy and high-tech. But it’s also a reminder that even exciting new technologies can have a dark side.
SOURCES:
Bikker, G. (2025). Sberbank ‘Smile-to-Pay’ service goes viral as biometric payment installations pass one million milestone. TechBullion. https://techbullion.com/sberbank-smile-to-pay-service-goes-viral-as-biometric-payment-installations-pass-one-million-milestone/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN). (2025, May 5). Smile-to-pay service in Russia — Fake or Real? Global Fact-Сhecking Network. https://globalfactchecking.com/smile-to-pay-service-in-russia-fake-or-real/
Morgan, J. (2024). Pay by Smile: In-Store biometric payments in the U.S. | J.P. Morgan. https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/payments/payment-trends/in-store-biometric-payments
Бояршина, А. (2023). Хотите расплачиваться на кассе улыбкой? IT-эксперт не советует так делать. Secret Firmy. https://secretmag.ru/zhizn/khotite-rasplachivatsya-na-kasse-ulybkoi-it-ekspert-ne-sovetuet-tak-delat-07-08-2023.htm
Что такое «Оплата улыбкой»: как работает и как ее подключить. (n.d.). РБК Инвестиции. https://www.rbc.ru/quote/news/article/67bb37ff9a79475c2cd1acc8
That is a very interesting technology, thank you for giving an overview!
While I agree that this technology is not without its risks, I still believe that using biometrics will become more and more normalized in the future. Similar to the way we went from unlocking our phone with a passcode to unlocking it with our face or fingerprints, using those biometrics to also pay for our purchases might not be as far away as we might think.
However, for that to happen, it is necessary for the technology to be as risk-free and secure as possible, especially if it is supposed to handle payments. Furthermore, citizens should be sure that their data and biometrics do not get into the wrong hands.
Overall, I do think there is a lot of potential in biometrics, however the technology needs to be treated responsibly and with the utmost care.
Really interesting post! I like how you framed smile to pay as both futuristic and unsettling, the “cool but scary” tension is exactly what makes technologies like this so interesting to discuss.
What strikes me most is the trade-off between convenience and trust. On the one hand, the speed and seamlessness of paying with a smile could easily push adoption, especially when linked to loyalty programs. On the other hand, the risks around surveillance and data misuse feel particularly sensitive in Russia’s political context. I completely understand why you’re adamant about not giving the Russian government even more ways to track you, as I would feel exactly the same.
It makes me wonder whether the success of smile to pay depends less on the technology itself and more on the governance environment around it. In countries with stricter privacy protections, like the Netherlands, would consumers feel comfortable enough to adopt biometric payment at scale? Or would regulation and cultural expectations around data security prevent it from becoming mainstream?
I think you’re right to question whether this will become a global standard. Maybe the future isn’t a single universal model, but multiple localised approaches depending on how societies balance efficiency with privacy.
This is so interesting! I didn’t know such developments were happening in Russia. However, I was aware of another payment transformation in China, palm scan payments. Both Alipay and Weixin (Wechat) do it and its also supposed to be very safe in the sense that its really unique to you and is apparently harder to forge than fingerprints or facial recognition. If you are interested you could read this article from Tencent, the company behind WeChat: https://www.tencent.com/en-us/articles/2201785.html . Alipays technology is called Alipay PL1, so feel free to look it up if you are interested :).
I find the blog’s themes very intriguing, especially since I tested the technology firsthand during my recent trip to Russia. Because of severe sanctions, none of my European cards operate in my home country, thus I was forced to use my father’s card all the time. I must say that I was shocked by how advanced Russia has grown with the incorporation of FinTech technology. Almost no one carries real cards now; everything is done using NFC technology. Specifically, “Smile To Pay” was a very unusual tool to find; yet, it also had restrictions, since I couldn’t simply use someone else’s card. Even these digital banking components were carefully developed by banks, which require a double verification of the card owner before a transaction is accepted and executed. All of the aforementioned advances significantly improved customer friendliness and payment efficiency. However, biometric technology helps you smile even more, which might improve one’s general well-being (https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/adopting-smile-can-make-you-feel-happier-large-global-study-finds) 🙂
Very interesting technique, I have not yet heard of it before! It feels very futuristic, almost like something from the movies, but now it is becoming reality.
I think it is only a matter of time before this technology is implemented worldwide. We’ve already seen how fast payment methods evolve: from typing a PIN code, to tapping a card, and now paying with our phones (like Apple Pay). In Thailand you can pay by scanning a QR-code. Smile to Pay feels like the next step.
But for people to adopt it, trust is key. Like you mentioned, it’s hard to trust governments such as Russia and China with such sensitive data. I think the big question regarding the future is whether our personal information will remain private, or whether convenience will come at the cost of surveillance.
Such interesting topic and a very well written blog! I am so intrigued by the logistics of this technology and how it actually unfolds in Russia, a country I have never been in. I am not sure how safe it would be because back where I am from, theft and crimes rates soar to the skies, that is why I am focused on safety concerns. I wonder what would happen if someone with a weapon threatens you to smile and make a transaction. I understand that this whole new process is a deterrent in itself because it is harder to get someone to do things than just simply robbing their wallets and cards, but there is still a possibility that scenarios like this could occur. It is somewhat understandable when banks stop a transaction or ask for a two-step identification when making purchases, but when it is the actual person (being coerced) making the payment, once again I really wonder how to stop the transaction. This is just food for though but I just brought it to the table to highlight safety issues and how technology goes along with security concerns when identifying where to adopt it.