Payment System Outage Disrupts Moscow Transport and Shops

A widespread payment system disruption caused significant disruption across Moscow on Friday, affecting public transport, retail stores and services.

Shoppers and commuters reported failures in card and QR code payments, with many businesses temporarily switching to cash-only transactions. The issue also impacted the Moscow metro, where turnstiles were opened to allow passengers to travel without payment during the outage.

The disruption was linked to problems involving Sberbank, Russia’s largest financial institution, though the exact cause has not been disclosed. The bank later confirmed that services had been restored but did not provide further details.

Other services were also affected, including a regional zoo in Belgorod, which asked visitors to pay in cash due to the outage. Petrol stations and shops across the region experienced similar issues for about an hour.

Authorities, including Central Bank of Russia, have not yet commented on the root cause of the disruption.

The incident highlights the vulnerability of digital payment infrastructure in large urban centers, particularly when widely used systems experience sudden failures.