Digitalization at T-Bank

Main article: T-Bank

2025

Creating a White Hacker Unit

In October 2025, it became known that the Red Team division was formed in T-Bank, whose tasks include regular testing of the stability of the credit institution's IT infrastructure and identifying weaknesses in the security system. This was reported by SecPost.

Programmer Nikita Medvedev has been appointed head of a group of ethical hackers. As part of a presentation at a forum in Moscow, he stressed that his team's activities do not come down to targeted pressure on SOC, the service responsible for operational monitoring of cyber incidents.

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Фото: Anton Novoderezhkin/Kommersant

We do not need to monitor the execution of instructions to eliminate vulnerabilities. We identify shortcomings, transmit information, and then Blue Team specialists quickly eliminate them, "said Nikita Medvedev.

Prior to the creation of the Red Team, T-Bank has already deployed a comprehensive cybersecurity system, including a server security strategy, regulations for detecting and preventing incidents with the distribution of employee roles. The bank also established a process for managing vulnerabilities - their detection, assessment and elimination. According to Medvedev, the bank also effectively operates a detection system that analyzes suspicious activity within the IT infrastructure.

He noted that when creating the Red Team, the task was to go beyond standard penetration testing. As a result, the unit focused on finding potential attack vectors. Specialists not only identify vulnerabilities, but also detect "blind spots" in the infrastructure - elements at the junction of the areas of responsibility of various departments, which are usually given insufficient attention.

Medvedev clarified that the discovery of shortcomings pursues the goal not only of their immediate correction, but also of assessing the general level of security. Therefore, after testing, artifacts remain - digital traces, the analysis of which allows you to adjust the operation of protective systems, he added.^[1]

Testing Chinese AI accelerators instead of Nvidia hardware

and "Sber" T-bank began testing Chinese accelerators artificial intelligence for as part of the search for an alternative to American chips, Nvidia which, under sanctions, became inaccessible to the Russian market. Alfa-Bank is also considering using Chinese equipment to solve problems. This was machine learning reported Sheets by "" on September 15, 2025. More. here

Creation of Fintech Platform

In January 2025, Sber, T-Bank and Alfa-Bank registered a joint venture Fintech Platform LLC, which will act as an operator for their payment consortium and develop new technological solutions. Read more here.

2024: Creating Your Data Center Network

T-Bank, part of, TKS Holding has launched a project to create its own network of data centers (), DPC the first of which is scheduled to open in early 2027. This became known on November 14, 2024 during the ceremony of assigning a new ticker to TKS Holding on the Moscow Exchange.

According to Interfax, the bank for the first time in the financial sector of Russia will use freecooling technology on an industrial scale, which involves cooling equipment due to street air. This method will significantly reduce the cost of building and operating data centers compared to traditional approaches.

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Фото: Unsplash

Vyacheslav Tsyganov, Information Technology Director, Vice President of T-Bank, said that the project for the construction of a network of data centers is designed until 2031, despite the current economic situation, which, according to many, does not have large-scale investments.

According to the news agency, before the start of this project, T-Bank did not have its own data processing centers and used rental services. In preparation for the construction of the data center network in early November 2024, the bank registered a new legal entity T-data center-2, the main activity of which will be the use of computer equipment and information technologies.

The creation of its own network of data centers is part of T-Bank's strategy for the development of technology platforms aimed at scaling up the business. This project will allow the financial institution to gain full control over its IT infrastructure and optimize data processing costs in the long term.^[2]

2023: Request for the consent of 30 million customers to process their photos and transfer them to the Unified Biometric System

Tinkoff requested the consent of 30 million customers to process their photos and transfer them to the Unified Biometric System (EBS). This became known on October 9, 2023.

According to Kommersant, the bank has published relevant information about collecting customer consent to the processing of photos that were taken during the design of products in the "story" (temporary short video stories) at the top of its mobile application.

The text of the consent, to which you can follow the link from the message, says that you can withdraw consent by letter sent by mail or through personal appeal, including through remote service services. The photos that the bank wants to process were taken by couriers who deliver the products: this is a photo with a sealed envelope in their hands and a photo with a picture of a passport in which the data is visible.

Bank employees clarified that the photo itself is not considered biometrics. When issuing consent on the photo, a digital impression is made, which can already be used in biometric systems. For a data source, photos are used, which are usually taken by bank couriers when issuing cards and recording video calls.

According to Artem Dmitriev, managing partner of Comply, if Tinkoff collects consent in order to change the category of previously collected personal data and turn it into biometric data and transfer it to the EBS, it will not work that way, it is illegal to obtain consent for processing after the fact.

The newspaper notes that formally the bank has only two options: to obtain the consent of customers and transfer data to the EBS or completely delete information from its system. Storage of biometrics is now allowed only in the EBS, and data collection for commercial systems is prohibited.^[3]

2021

Ivan Zimin is the new vice president for the introduction of innovative state technologies at Tinkoff

On July 21, 2021, Tinkoff announced the appointment of Ivan Zimin as vice president for the introduction of innovative state technologies and services. In this position, the ex-head of the fintech department of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation will develop partnerships with government agencies and will ensure the presence of the group in state fintech projects and digital services, the credit institution said in a statement. Read more here.

Start sending money abroad by phone number

On October 26, 2021, it became known that Russian banks began to offer the possibility of sending money abroad by phone number. Thus, Tinkoff Bank now allows you to send funds to individual banks in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Such transfers can be made only in. rubles The limit for one operation is no more than 150 thousand, and per rubles month - no more than 1.5 million rubles. For the service, the credit institution charges a commission in the amount of 1.5% of the amount of transfers, but at least 30 rubles.

Russian banks launched money transfers abroad by phone number

Mikhail Shashilov, head of cross-border transfers at Tinkoff Bank, told Izvestia that reverse transfers from the listed countries to Russia will also be possible by the end of 2021. During 2022, the credit institution plans to scale the service to the rest of the CIS countries and enter other regions of near and far abroad.

The function of transferring money abroad by phone number is also available to customers. Sberbank"" The press service of the bank told the publication that transfers are now being made to, Azerbaijan,, Armenia, Belarus Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The transfer cost for all users of the bank's mobile application is 1% of the transfer amount, at least 30 rubles, and a maximum of 1 thousand rubles.

In 2022, other Russian banks will be allowed to transfer money abroad by phone number: Unistream, Дом.рф and ICD.

The Central Bank of the Russian Federation reminded the newspaper that by the end of October 2021, the regulator is developing its own similar service based on the Fast Payment System (FPS).

According to experts interviewed by Izvestia, millions of labor migrants transfer money from Russia, and the market is worth billions of dollars. According to the Central Bank, in August 2021 alone, the volume of transfers of individuals from the Russian Federation abroad amounted to $893 million.^[4]

Launch of 9 development centers in Russia and Belarus

On July 20, 2021, Tinkoff Bank informed TAdviser about scaling a network of distributed development teams and launching 9 Development Centers at once in Voronezh, Krasnodar, Minsk, Novosibirsk, Perm, Ryazan, Samara, Sochi and Tomsk. Read more here.

2020

Implementation of the service for identity of the seller and buyer of real estate at the place of transaction

SKB Kontur on August 31, 2020 announced that, together with Tinkoff, it had launched a service: a bank representative leaving to verify the identities of the seller and buyer to the place where the transaction is being carried out. This service can be relevant for real estate agencies that deal with transactions between individuals. Read more here.

CIO of Tinkoff Bank promoted to deputy chairman of the board

On November 19, 2020, Vyacheslav Tsyganov, vice president for IT at Tinkoff Bank, was appointed deputy chairman of the board with the right to sign financial and settlement documents. Read more here.

Tinkoff ecosystem

As of May 2020, the Tinkoff ecosystem provided a range of financial services for individuals and for business. Tinkoff paid special attention to the development of lifestyle banking: the ecosystem gives customers the opportunity to analyze and plan personal spending, invest savings, receive bonuses under loyalty programs, book travel, buy movie tickets, book tables in restaurants and much more.

All Tinkoff services are available through Tinkoff Mobile Mobile Application and Website Tinkoff.ru.

Tinkoff has no branches: a network of its own representatives allows you to deliver the company's products to any region of the country as soon as possible, and customers are served through online channels and a contact center. In all communications, Tinkoff actively uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, more than 30% of customer requests in chats are processed without the participation of bank employees.

All products and most of Tinkoff's internal IT systems have been developed by the company itself. 70% of headquarters employees are IT specialists.

The core of the ecosystem is Tinkoff Bank, founded in 2006, an online bank that serves more than 10 million customers.

The parent company of TCS Group Holding PLC is traded on the London Stock Exchange and on the Moscow Stock Exchange.

2018

Opening of the first virtual Tinkoff Development Center

Tinkoff Bank on November 15, 2018 informed TAdviser about the opening of the first virtual Tinkoff Development Center among Russian banks. The cloud office, as conceived by the bank, will allow employees from different cities of Russia and neighboring countries to participate in the work on the creation of banking products.

For six months virtual , the development center functioned in a pilot mode - during this time, specialists from,, Murmansk,, and Astrakhan Eagle Omsk Krasnoyarsk Obninsk other cities joined the bank's team, becoming full-fledged participants in project teams for,, and iOS Android WinPhone development .Net. All employees of the cloud office work in mixed teams with developers from Moscow and regional Tinkoff Development Centers, told TAdviser in Tinkoff Bank.

According to the bank's representatives, the creation of the virtual Tinkoff Development Center made it possible to significantly expand the geography of the search for candidates and reduce the time for the selection of competent developers. A separate interview algorithm was developed to hire employees, taking into account the nuances of remote work.

At the first stage, candidates undergo primary screening of technical details, followed by separate testing of soft skills - the ability to work remotely, communicate with people, take the initiative, etc. Only after passing this stage, the applicant will have a technical interview directly on professional skills, - clarified in Tinkoff Bank.

In addition, according to bank representatives, to hire remote employees for projects, the virtual development center follows a practice fundamentally different from the traditional one:

• The center works without intermediaries for hiring employees, all contracts are concluded directly with Tinkoff;
• The center is a separate structural division of the bank with its head, a dedicated HR team and other elements of functional centers. Tinkoff considers developers working in the cloud as full-fledged team members and plans long-term cooperation with them;
• Tinkoff Bank conducts targeted integration of employees of the virtual Tinkoff Development Center into a common team: meetings with colleagues, joint events at headquarters in Moscow, at the Sirius Development Center in Sochi and other regional centers of the bank;
• Employees of the virtual development center have access to the advantages of the bank's developer's social package: compensation for learning English, free business trips to specialized forums and conferences, and more.

The ability to work remotely for several years is one of the most demanded working conditions on the part of developers, it is impossible to ignore this trend. Even from the experience of opening Tinkoff Development Centers in the regions, we noticed that many specialists do not seek to move to Moscow: they have housing, parents, families in their cities, so people are not ready to change their location. In their cities, they remain in the usual environment, but at the same time they work on large-scale projects, use modern technologies, and their income corresponds to the level of the capital. Now, thanks to the opening of the virtual Tinkoff Development Center, we can afford to hire the best of the best, not limited to large cities, - commented on the event Vyacheslav Tsyganov, Vice President, Information Technology Director of Tinkoff Bank. - Employees of the virtual Development Center are full-fledged participants in distributed project teams working in regional centers. In order not to destroy the atmosphere of trust and joint creativity in teams, we did not introduce harsh practices for controlling remote employees, usually used in other companies - such as time tracking, screen screens and photos from a video camera. The trust-based approach and the current level of maturity of development management processes in the bank ensures the necessary visibility of employees for team leaders, and control is carried out by indirect means - by Comitas, activity in the task tracker and involvement in internal project communications.

As of November 2018, Tinkoff Bank already has 10 Tinkoff Development Centers (TCR) in different regions of Russia, the virtual office will become the 11th in a row.

More than 214 million online transactions in the acquiring network

Logo in 2018

On May 23, 2019, Tinkoff announced that it had become one of the largest online acquirers in Europe in 2018 and ranked third among Russian participating banks according to The Nilson Report, a payment industry research company.

In 2018, Tinkoff provided more than 214 million online transactions in its acquiring network. Thus, Tinkoff took 13th place in the European TOP 20 Acquirers of Web Transactions ranking, ahead of Alfa-Bank (177 million transactions, 15th place) and behind Sberbank (584 million transactions, 4th place) and VTB (258 million transactions, 10th place).

Anatoly Makeshin commented on the event:

We are pleased to enter the top three players in Russia in the field of online acquiring and receive the status of one of the key acquirers in Europe. We are constantly improving our own technologies in the field of electronic payments, making them as convenient and accessible as possible for our customers. The Tinkoff acquiring service (Tinkoff Payment) offers the entire range of services for solving the problems of online business of any scale. In the future, we will continue to expand the capabilities of the Tinkoff ecosystem in the field of acquiring, while maintaining the reliability and security of our payment services.

The Nilson Report took into account in the current rating transactions that were made on the Internet (on a computer and phone), as well as using mobile applications.

• Net profit under IFRS for the nine months of 2018 amounted to 19 billion rubles, the return on capital amounted to 72.9%.

2017: Tinkoff Bank will create a development center at Skolkovo

Tinkoff Bank and the Skolkovo Foundation signed a cooperation agreement in June 2017. As part of the agreement, Tinkoff Bank received the status of a partner of Skolkovo. The joint work provides for research activities and the creation of the Tinkoff Development Center - Skolkovo on the territory of the Skolkovo Innovation Center.

As part of the signed agreement, Tinkoff Bank will engage in research activities in Skolkovo and focus on a number of key areas: processing and analysis of large amounts of data, cloud technologies and services, new design, development and management systems, new systems for searching, recognizing and processing audio, video and graphics information, as well as secure information technologies.

And also finding new solutions for business based on blockchain and technologies. voice and face recognition The main task of the development center will be to work with promising technologies and research aimed at developing the Tinkoff financial ecosystem. First of all, these will be solutions based on blockchain and research in the field of crypto-economics. The ideas and prototypes developed by the center will solve not only the applied tasks of Tinkoff Bank, but also popularize new technologies for mass use by business. Another task of the center will be the development of biometric voice and face recognition technologies. This will improve the quality of customer service, improve the security of financial transactions and contribute to the development of in-store analytics systems. Tinkoff Bank is already successfully cooperating in this area with the current residents of the Skolkovo fund's IT cluster: they software are integrated into Tinkoff ATMs.

Tinkoff Bank experts will participate in scientific and technological conferences and other public events organized by Skolkovo. As part of these events, young companies, residents of the fund, will be able to receive an expert assessment of their products and mentoring support from Tinkoff Bank specialists, as well as become partners of the company.

2016: Seven R&D centers for the Russian Federation

On December 9, 2016, it became known about the plans of Tinkoff Group - in the next two years to launch seven development centers in Russia.

At the first stage, such centers will begin to operate in, St. Petersburg,, Nizhny Novgorod,, and Yekaterinburg Novosibirsk. In Rostov-on-Don Saratov Vladivostok the future, it is planned to use other cities in the project Russia ^[5] Group will^[5]

The company wants to expand the geography of search for developers at the expense of the regions, this will make it possible to quickly increase the resource of developers as the number of tasks increases, strengthen the production cycle due to different time zones, and reduce the time for launching products on the market.

It is assumed that the employees of the centers will work on products for the Tinkoff.ru platform and engage in technological research projects that are not directly related to the company's activities. Each center will employ from 50 to 150 people, depending on the region.

We are growing very quickly and launching a large number of new services within our financial supermarket Tinkoff.ru. The scope of tasks is such that the time has come to significantly increase our development resource at the expense of large regional centers. We expect that this project will allow us to significantly reduce the time for launching new products on the market. Oliver Hughes, Chairman of the Board of Tinkoff Bank

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