Sberbank to place 40 ATMs in Crimea in time for tourist season

MOSCOW. April 19 (Interfax) - Sberbank plans to expand its ATM network in Crimea to 80 installations in May-June, Tatyana Galkina, head of the Sales Network block, told reporters.

Now, there are about 30 Sberbank ATMs in Crimea.

"We plan to expand the network of ATMs in Crimea to 80 by tourist season, in May-June," Galkina said.

"The turnover per ATM here is above the national average. We are also seeing an increased demand for the function of depositing cash to bank cards through ATMs. The high interest in the machines is due to the popularity of Sber's services, for example, transfers," she said.

Sberbank in January announced the start of operations in Crimea. In the first half of the year, the bank plans to open three offices in the largest cities on the peninsula, and throughout 2023 to expand its self-service network throughout Crimea.

Currently, a limited number of banks operate in Crimea, all of which have been under external restrictions for several years.

Sberbank at the beginning of April 2022 fell under U.S. blocking sanctions. Similar restrictions on the bank were later introduced by some other countries.