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Putin Meets Sberbank’s Gref as Bank Raises Profit Outlook and Touts Contactless Payments

Gref forecast higher profit versus 2024, signaling increased dividends next year.

Overview

  • The Kremlin meeting on Monday marked Putin’s second session this year with Herman Gref, underscoring Sberbank’s strategic standing.
  • Putin praised Sberbank’s results as evidence of the institution’s solid resilience following Gref’s performance update.
  • Gref said profit would be roughly six percentage points higher than in 2024 and indicated dividend payouts will rise next year.
  • Sberbank highlighted nationwide face-recognition payments, with 1.3 million enabled terminals operating from Kamchatka to Kaliningrad.
  • Gref detailed a fast Bluetooth-based phone payment system, described as a domestic alternative to Apple Pay, supported by low-cost terminals priced around $55.