MAKHACHKALA, October 22 – RIA "Dagestan". H1 2026 retail payment metrics for Dagestan indicate a robust expansion of digital payment infrastructure, alongside a structural shift in consumer payment preferences.
The Bank of Russia’s regional branch reports a 21% YoY increase in the total installed base of ATMs and POS terminals, reaching 23,800 units. Crucially, QR-acquiring terminals surged by 27.6% to 16,700 devices.
This infrastructural scaling supported 140 million cashless transactions (cards and QR) valued at RUB 121 billion. However, a divergence in payment instruments is evident: while aggregate cashless volumes remain strong, data highlights a 14.8% contraction in traditional card-based transaction frequency and a 21.3% decline in card transaction value.
This divergence strongly suggests a cannibalization effect, where rapid QR-code and Fast Payment System (SBP) adoption is displacing legacy physical card usage at the point of sale.