Sberbank is testing ATMs without card acceptance function

Sberbank is testing an ATM that is fully controlled by an iOS or Android smartphone, said Tatyana Galkina, senior vice president and head of the Sales Network block at the bank. It is understood that the client will scan the QR code from the ATM screen, use it to go to the banking application (Sberbank Online or SBOL), where they will be offered the opportunity to receive and deposit cash. Such an operation does not require the use of a plastic card. The ATM itself is a screen and a slot for depositing / withdrawing cash, it does not have a keyboard and a card reader. Now many Russian banks have the ability to dispense cash without using a card, including Sberbank, but these are ATMs that can also be used in the traditional way – using a card.

“In essence, such an ATM is a design that stores money and contains a QR code, and the interface and client path are displayed on the client’s smartphone. This is our experiment, a technological search,” Galkina explained. Such technology is a logical continuation of the customer experience in acquiring, which allows you to pay for a purchase using a QR code, she believes. In addition, equipment costs for this ATM are 15% lower than in a classic ATM, and maintenance costs are 20%. The reduction in equipment costs is due to the exclusion of redundant elements – a card reader, a PIN keyboard, etc. Galkina did not say how much the new development cost Sberbank.