Russia’s Unified Biometric System Reaches 3 Million Enrollments Amid Nationwide Expansion

Russia’s Unified Biometric System (RUBS) has reached a significant milestone with nearly 3 million citizens enrolled as of early 2025, marking substantial growth for the national identity program launched in 2018. The system, which integrates biometric data for various services including travel, contactless payments, and SIM card registrations, has seen increasing public acceptance despite privacy concerns raised by human rights organizations.

Public attitudes toward biometric data usage have shown a notable shift, with acceptance rising from 27% in 2023 to 41% in 2024. Vladislav Povolotsky, General Director of the Center for Biometric Technologies, attributes this increase to the system’s convenience and perceived benefits.

The Russian government is actively expanding the system’s capabilities, particularly in the payment sector. Russian banks are developing a unified payment system utilizing facial biometric data, with plans to equip approximately two million payment terminals for biometric transactions by mid-2025. This expansion builds upon the successful implementation of the Face Pay system in Moscow’s Metro, which has since expanded to other cities including Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod.

A significant legislative change in 2023 required companies to submit collected biometric data to the government’s unified system. This mandate has accelerated the system’s growth, though it has also intensified privacy concerns. Human Rights Watch researcher Anastasia Krupoe has warned that the extensive collection of biometric data could increase surveillance risks, particularly for political dissidents.

Dmitry Malykh, Senior Vice President at Sberbank, confirmed that the nationwide rollout of the biometric payment system is proceeding according to schedule, with launch planned for the second half of 2025. This expansion represents a key component of Russia’s broader strategy to integrate biometric authentication across various sectors of public services and commercial transactions.

The rapid expansion of RUBS comes amid growing global attention to national biometric systems and their implications for privacy and security. Recent reports have detailed the extent of Russia’s biometric surveillance apparatus, highlighting both the technological advancement and the potential privacy implications of such systems.