Contactless payment methods become increasingly popular in 2025
In 2025, a larger number of individuals preferred alternative (non-card) methods to pay for goods and services. They include Bluetooth Low Energy technology-based payments, which quickly became popular beginning from 2025 Q3. By the end of 2025, such transactions numbered 35 million, totalling over ₽33 billion.
Other cashless methods, namely payments using QR codes and biometrics, remain popular as well. In 2025, their number and amount increased to four billion and ₽5.7 trillion, which is 1.8 and 1.4 times higher, respectively, than in the previous year.
Consumers opted for e-wallets more frequently, which was largely associated with marketplaces’ operating models. Over 2025, such transactions numbered 8.8 billion, amounting to ₽13.3 trillion, which is 1.4 and 1.6 times more, respectively, than in 2024.
The proportion of alternative payment methods edged up by 4.5 percentage points over 2025, accounting for 14.1% in the total amount of cashless payments.
Up-to-date information on transactions in the payment market is available in the National Payment System Statistics subsection on the Bank of Russia website.