There will be no alternative to NSPK: The Central Bank refused Sberbank, Alfa-Bank, and T-Bank permission to create their own payment system

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Russia’s central bank has rejected Sberbank, Alfa-Bank, and T-Bank’s request to build their own payment system as an alternative to NSPK. The article frames the decision in the context of the existing payment infrastructure and the shift away from Visa and Mastercard after 2022. It also mentions alternative payment technologies such as QR payments and Bluetooth-based payments, but says the banks will not be allowed to launch a separate system. For vendors, the situation signals ongoing demand around payment processing, checkout flows, and integration with national payment rails.

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