Russia

In addition to VISA and Master Card, there are some local payment system based in general on Smart Card technology.

• Sbercard. This payment system was created by Sberbank around 1995–1996. It uses BGS Smartcard Systems AG smart card technology that is, DUET. Sberbank was a single retail bank in USSR before 1990. De facto this is a payment system of the SberBank.
• Zolotaya Korona. This card brand was created in 1994. Zolotaya Korona is based on CFT technology.
• STB Card. This card uses the classic magnetic stripe technology. It almost fully collapsed after 1998 (GKO crisis) with STB bank failure.
• Union Card. The card also uses the classic magnetic stripe technology. This card brand is on the decline. These accounts are being reissued as Visa or MasterCard accounts.

Nearly every transaction, regardless of brand or system, is processed as an immediate debit transaction. Non-debit transactions within these systems have spending limits that are strictly limited when compared with typical Visa or MasterCard accounts.

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