Over 90% of Payments in 10 Minutes: Sber Accelerates Russian-Indian Trade
St. Petersburg [Russia], June 5: Among the areas are launching factoring for Indian MSMEs, developing technology bridges in AI, and creating a sustainable infrastructure for settlements in national currencies.
A New Stage of Financial Cooperation
Since April 1, 2026, Indian microenterprises, small and medium-sized companies (MSMEs) have gained access to Sber’s factoring services. The service, fully compliant with local legislation, allows companies operating with deferred payment terms of up to 180 days to quickly obtain working capital against the assignment of receivables without collateral.
Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank:
“According to forecasts, by 2030 India will be among the world’s three largest economies, and such flexible financial instruments are critically necessary”.
Sber’s corporate clients in India can now open rupee deposit accounts online with interest rates of up to 7% per annum, as well as use them as collateral for loans. The total number of rupee accounts has grown by more than 60% over the past year.
Technological Sovereignty and AI
In the interview, Alexander Vedyakhin paid special attention to cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence. Sber views India as a strategic BRICS+ partner: in the IT hub in Bangalore, more than 250 engineers, together with their Russian colleagues, are developing world-class AI products.
Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank:
“Sber is deeply immersed in India’s AI ecosystem, and we see a number of opportunities where our solutions and expertise can strengthen the business of local companies. We are working with them to develop joint business models and optimal partnership formats. We are confident that by working together in developing applied solutions based on GenAI and actively exchanging experience and competencies, we can make significant progress in building sovereign solutions. Such solutions must be adapted to the needs of citizens and businesses in our countries while simultaneously ensuring reliability and security, especially when used in critical processes”.
Rupee Settlements and Trade Support
The issue of stuck rupees, which was relevant several years ago, has been completely resolved. Conversion is possible in any volume. Sber has launched rupee-denominated lending for importers and joint ventures, as well as export financing for shipments of Indian pharmaceuticals, machinery, and consumer goods to Russia.
Currently, over 90% of payments from Russia to India are processed online in less than 10 minutes. The Business Development service, launched in 2024, has already generated about 3% of the bilateral trade market, with transaction volumes in 2026 increasing 10-fold compared to last year.
New Office in Delhi and Educational Projects
Sber’s immediate plans include opening a modern office in Delhi. Preliminary lease agreements are now being signed for a complex under construction, where the bank’s smart technologies will be applied.
Last year, to support entrepreneurs, Sber, in partnership with HSE University, launched an educational program on the specifics of business culture in the two countries. A guide for Indian companies interested in localizing their business in Russia was also published, and the Russia Executive Business Program for managers from India was launched.
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