Alfa-Bank has released Russia's first payment fitness bracelet. As the Banki.ru portal learned, the technical innovation was developed jointly with the Raketa.Fit network of fitness clubs. The gadget not only provides access to all Raketa.Fit clubs, but also replaces the usual one, allowing you to pay with it in any place where the Mastercard PayPass system works.

The peculiarity of the bracelet is that it combines the function of a pass to a fitness club, user identification and. The chip of the bank card contains information about clients of the fitness club network, biometric information, and it was also possible to integrate it with all the internal IT systems of the club - from entrance turnstiles to locks and solariums.

“Existing IT solutions for fitness make it possible to use the storage medium as means of payment only on the club premises. We remove this restriction and give our client a full-fledged means of payment with which he can pay anywhere. It took us about four months to integrate the fitness bracelet and bank card,” notes Pavel Savitsky, director of the IT network of fitness clubs Raketa.Fit. Thanks to the development, the bracelet itself remains almost weightless and convenient for customers. Its weight is only 7 grams.

You can use the bracelet as a means of payment in any place where Mastercard cards with the PayPass function are accepted. In fact, the bracelet is complete payment card, where the chip is built into a fitness bracelet, and not built into a conventional plastic card. To pay, you just need to bring your bracelet to the terminal. You only need to enter a PIN code for purchases over 1 thousand rubles. You can check and top up your bracelet balance at personal account Raketa.Fit. Since the project with the Raketa.Fit network operates on a prepaid system, you do not need to open a bank account. Members of the Raketa.Fit club will receive bracelets absolutely free. In case of loss, the user will have to pay for the restoration of the gadget, taking into account re-registration in the IT system. At the same time, just like bank card, the bracelet always remains the property of the fitness club.

MasterCard introduced solutions for payments through refrigerators and fitness bracelets

MasterCard is developing a program that will turn any accessory, gadget or household appliance into a device with a payment function. As the company reported, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) tech exhibition, two such solutions were presented at once: an application for shopping directly on the refrigerator display and fitness bracelets with built-in payment functionality.

The bracelet with a built-in card is resistant to temperature changes from +30 to -30 degrees, moisture, water and other mechanical and thermal influences, including visiting a solarium. Wearing a bracelet does not cause an allergic reaction even in extreme conditions of fitness clubs. “In the future, we plan to release special series of bracelets, developed jointly with famous Russian designers“says Alex Malybaev, brand director of the Raketa.Fit fitness club chain.

However, the bracelet is used not only as a pass to any of the clubs in the network or an electronic key to a safe deposit box or locker, you can also use it to pay Additional services: individual training, paid classes, solarium on site, without taking out a bank card or wallet, just by placing your hand on the reader.

“In the near future, a fitness tracker function will be introduced into the gadget. We will be able to record our clients’ physical activity, sleep, and measure their pulse. All this information, along with financial information, will be available to our visitors in mobile application, which will allow you to develop an individual training course, and gym visitors to monitor the state of their health and wallet in mobile phone“says Tikhon Kosykh, founder of the Raketa.Fit fitness club chain.

“Bank cards help quickly transfer liquidity to the right time and place, and also contribute to the automation of fitness clubs, allowing them to reduce the price of a subscription, reduce queues at the cash desk to pay for services and simplify accounting. They also make it possible to implement a business model with a large number of various additional services, for which it is more convenient and faster to pay for them on the spot,” says Mikhail Krylov, head of the analytical department of Golden Hills Capital AM.

Alfa-Bank offers contactless MasterCard cards in AlfaPay wristwatches

Alfa-Bank offered clients new way payment for purchases - using a wristwatch with a built-in technology-enabled debit bank card contactless payment MasterCard PayPass. The project was implemented jointly with the international payment system MasterCard, the bank said in a statement.

According to the expert, banking products capable of increasing the average amount a person spends on fitness per month by 10-20% through the introduction of a business model for a store of individual sports services or, more importantly, making them more transparent possible ways monetization of existing fitness clubs: both in terms of visitor statistics and the popularity of classes, and in terms of payback for repairing equipment that is subject to wear and tear, and especially in terms of the speed and convenience of charging for additional services.

Raketa.Fit and Alfa-Bank plan to develop a special bonus offer for clients of the network for a line of sports goods and special nutrition, for the purchase of which using a fitness gadget, visitors of the network will be awarded bonuses.

A similar project was already implemented in 2014 in Nizhny Novgorod During the Alfa Future People electronic music festival, where the bank first presented a non-standard payment solution in the form of a bracelet, noted Marina Golubova, head of the issuance and support of projects and operations of the Alfa-Bank processing center.

Natalya STRELTSOVA, website

Alfa Bank

JSC Alfa-Bank is one of the largest universal banks in Russia, owned by the Alfa Group consortium. Alpha's position is strong in almost all segments banking market. A fairly well developed network of branches in Moscow and other major cities Russia. Since the fall of 2014, Alfa-Bank has acted as a sanator for Baltiysky Bank.

Currently, the shareholder of the bank is AB Holding JSC (99.99983% of shares), owned by the Alfa Group structure ABH Financial Limited (Cyprus), which, in turn, is controlled by ABH Holdings S.A. (Luxembourg); less than 0.0002% of the shares are controlled by Alfa Capital Holdings (Cyprus) Limited. The beneficiaries of ABH Holdings S.A. (Luxembourg), the main owner of ABH Financial Ltd., are co-owners of Alfa Group Mikhail Fridman, German Khan and Alexey Kuzmichev, who control 32.86%, 20.97% and 16.32% of the shares, respectively, and also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the banking group Petr Aven (12.40%) and Andrey Kosogov (3.67%). A 9.9% stake belongs to UniCredit S.p.A. (shares are in public circulation), another 3.87% is controlled by a charitable trust established under the laws of the Cayman Islands (shares are in trust management for the benefit of charitable organizations).

According to Banki.ru, as of August 1, 2019, the bank’s net assets were 3,352.12 billion rubles (6th place in Russia), capital (calculated in accordance with the requirements of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation) - 420.21 billion, loan portfolio- 2,204.86 billion, liabilities to the population - 1,086.09 billion.

The unique gadget was developed by the network of technological fitness clubs Raketa.Fit together with Alfa-Bank. The bracelet not only provides access to all clubs of the Raketa.Fit network, but also replaces a regular bank card, allowing you to pay with the gadget in any place where you work MasterCard system PayPass.

The peculiarity of the new product created by Alfa-Bank and the Raketa.Fit network is that it combines the functions of a bracelet for entering a fitness club and identifying the user and debit card. “For the first time, the developers of Raketa.Fit and Alfa-Bank managed to record information about clients of a network of fitness clubs, biometric information onto a bank card chip, and also integrate it with all the internal IT systems of the club - from entrance turnstiles to locks and solariums. Existing IT solutions for fitness allow the use of a data carrier as a means of payment only on the territory of the club. We remove this restriction and give our client a full-fledged means of payment with which he can pay anywhere. It took us about 4 months to integrate the fitness bracelet and bank card,” notes Pavel Savitsky, director of the IT network of fitness clubs Raketa.Fit. Thanks to the development, the bracelet itself remains almost weightless and convenient for customers. Its weight is only 7 grams.

However, lightness is not the only advantage of the new gadget. The bracelet with a built-in bank card is resistant to temperatures from +30 to −30, moisture, water and other mechanical and thermal influences, including visiting a solarium. The bracelet itself does not cause an allergic reaction in users even in extreme conditions of fitness clubs. “The project is interesting because when creating the bracelet we did not use ready-made solutions and every detail was designed, manufactured and tested specifically for the fitness club. In addition to the Raketa.Fit team, Yaroslav Rassadin, an industrial designer and one of the creators of the Marussia supercar, took part in the project. This union allowed us to develop a gadget that sits comfortably on the hand, does not get wet in water, is elastic, compact and convenient for sports, and at the same time looks stylish. In the future, we plan to release special series of bracelets developed together with famous Russian designers,” says Alex Malybaev, brand director of the Raketa.Fit fitness club chain.

However, the bracelet is used not only as a pass to any of the clubs in the network or an electronic key to a safe deposit box or locker; it can also be used to pay for additional services: individual training, paid classes, solarium on site, without taking out a bank card or wallet, simply by tapping hand towards the reader. “In the near future, a fitness tracker function will be introduced into the gadget. We will be able to record the motor activity of our clients, sleep, measure their pulse, all this information, along with financial information, will be available to our visitors in the mobile application, which will allow us to develop an individual training course, and visitors to the Raketa.Fit network will be able to monitor the state of their health and wallet in the mobile phone,” says Tikhon Kosykh, founder of the Raketa.Fit fitness club chain. Raketa.Fit and Alfa-Bank plan to develop a special bonus offer for network clients for a line of sports goods and special nutrition, for the purchase of which using our fitness gadget, network visitors will be awarded bonuses.

You can use the new bracelet as a means of payment in any place where they accept MasterCard cards with PayPass function. In fact, the bracelet is a full-fledged payment card, where the chip is built into the fitness bracelet, and not built into the usual plastic card. To pay, you just need to bring your bracelet to the terminal. You will only need to enter a PIN code for purchases over 1,000 rubles. You can check and top up your bracelet balance in your Raketa.Fit personal account. Since the project with the Raketa.Fit network operates on a prepaid system, you do not need to open a bank account. Members of the Raketa.Fit club will receive bracelets for use absolutely free of charge. In case of loss, the user will have to pay for the restoration of the bracelet, taking into account re-registration in the IT system. At the same time, just like a bank card, the bracelet always remains the property of the fitness club.

One of the first users of the payment bracelet will be new and current members clubs of the Raketa.Fit network. By the end of the year, twice as many Muscovites will be able to pay for purchases with a fitness bracelet and use the infrastructure of the chain’s current and new gyms. “We are now actively preparing sites for the next 4-5 Raketa.Fit clubs, with an opening date of the end of 2017 - the first quarter of 2018,” says business development director Vladimir Kurdin. Kurdin emphasizes that multifunctional bracelets will be issued to new clients of the network free of charge.

According to Marina Golubova, head of the Department of Issuance and Support of Projects and Operations of the Alfa-Bank Processing Center, a similar project was already implemented in 2014 in Nizhny Novgorod during the Alfa Future People electronic music festival, where the bank first presented a non-standard payment solution in the form of a bracelet .

Alfa Bank founded in 1990. Alfa Bank is universal bank, carrying out all main types banking operations on the market financial services, including servicing private and corporate clients, investment banking business, leasing, factoring and trade finance.

Based on the results of the first half of 2016, according to data financial statements(IFRS) total assets Banking group Alfa-Bank, which includes ABH Financial, Alfa-Bank JSC and subsidiaries financial companies, amounted to 33.3 billion US dollars, the total loan portfolio - 22.0 billion US dollars, total capital - 4.6 billion US dollars. Net profit for the first half of 2016 amounted to 161 million US dollars.

As of June 30, 2016, Alfa-Bank services approximately 277 thousand corporate clients and 14 million individuals. 723 branches and branches have been opened in Moscow, regions of Russia and abroad, including a subsidiary bank in the Netherlands and financial subsidiaries in the UK and Cyprus.

Alfa-Bank - official European bank 2018 FIFA World Cup™ and 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Since its founding in 1990, the bank has been known for supporting large-scale cultural events. With the assistance of Alfa-Bank, world-famous foreign musicians visited Russia: Ray Charles, Elton John, Tina Turner, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton, Sting, Robbie Williams, Whitney Houston, Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler and many others. In 2011, the bank organized a 4D show by the world famous David Atkins on Sparrow Hills in Moscow, which was attended by over 800,000 spectators. Alfa-Bank is also the organizer of the annual festival of contemporary music and technology AlfaFuturePeople.

Network of fitness clubs Raketa- innovative project for Russian market fitness that implements Russian company“Servant of Sports” (a subsidiary of the Cypriot Raketa Holding Ltd). The founder of the project, Tikhon Kosykh, was once a co-founder of the Physics network of sports clubs.

The work of fitness clubs of the Raketa network, which will open exclusively in shopping centers, will be automated as much as possible. A similar format has not yet been presented in Russia. In October 2016, the Servant of Sport company attracted investments in the amount of 300 million rubles. from an international investor for the opening of the first two points. Within three years, the company plans to open 17 fitness clubs in Russia. More details on the website:

Alfa-Bank provides its clients with several methods of contactless payment for purchases - using plastic cards, AlfaPay wristwatches and a special bracelet with the unique PayPass technology from Mastercard. With their help, bill payment is carried out in one touch.

Applying for an Alfa-Bank card with PayPass

A unique technology for making one-touch payments is available on many credit cards and. PayPass is installed plastic cards category MasterCard, and for Visa there is a similar system - PayWave.

Contactless payments are made by installing special reading devices in cash registers, ATMs and terminals.

Using this technology, bank clients can pay for a purchase or service provided several times faster. If the payment amount does not exceed one thousand rubles, the cardholder does not even need to enter.

The advantages of contactless cards from Alfa-Bank with PayPass are obvious:

• payment security;
• ease of shopping;
• the opportunity to receive various bonuses from the company’s partners.

You can order a Gold, Signature/Black, Platinum or Classic/Standard card from Alfa-Bank with PayPass at any branch. You can also apply through the company's official website.

Purchasing a bracelet from Alfa-Bank with PayPass

Owners of the Next youth debit card, which has contactless shopping technology, can receive a special bracelet, also equipped with PayPass.

To successfully make a payment, you just need to bring your hand with the bracelet to the terminal and enter a unique PIN code if the purchase price exceeds one thousand rubles.

This map designed for young people aged 18 to 30 years. The client can choose one of the available service packages - “Optimum”, “Economy”, “Maximum+” or “Comfort”. The cost of servicing the card is only 10 rubles monthly, and a bracelet can be purchased for 600 rubles.

The advantages of the “Next” card include:

• the ability to choose a unique design;
• increased cashback up to 2 thousand rubles per month (if the client spends more than 9 thousand rubles on the card monthly);
• free use"Alpha Click" and mobile banking;
• linking the card to Apple Pay;
• receiving many discounts and bonuses from company partners.

You can order a bracelet in black, yellow or red design. It has a stylish appearance, because it does not contain the bank’s logo. You can request a bracelet when you apply for a “Next” card, and if you have one, just contact the nearest Alfa-Bank branch or call the call center.

Purchasing watches from Alfa-Bank with PayPass

AlfaPay wristwatch is not only a stylish and modern accessory, but also a convenient means of paying for purchases. The product, offered by Alfa-Bank in two universal colors - black and white, has built-in PayPass technology, which allows the owner to make payments in stores with one touch.

The watch is issued to the client along with the selected card upon activation of one of the following service packages:

• "Comfort";
• "Maximum";
• "Optimum";
• "Maximum+".

Customers who receive wages to cards from Alfa-Bank.

Alfa Bank, together with the network of fitness clubs Raketa.Fit, was for the first time able to integrate simultaneously the functions of a bank card, a club pass, and a personal ID into a small sports bracelet. Now you don’t have to carry a wallet and a bunch of documents with you to enter the fitness room - just attach a new gadget. How it works? Let's figure it out.

The accessory is a strip of material made of soft and pleasant to the touch material. The inside is black, but the outside of the bracelet is red and embossed with images of a rocket and stars. It is attached to the hand using holes on the strap, into which a pin with an extension on the cap is threaded.

Manufacturers claim the following advantages of the new product:

• lightweight: the gadget weighs only 7 grams;
• stable: manufacturers claim resistance to temperature changes within 60 degrees (from -30 to +30), water resistance, solarium and shock resistance;
• comfortable: the bracelet is flat, flexible and not very wide, which allows you to go unnoticed when wearing it;
• hypoallergenic: the material is designed so as not to cause irritation even on wet and sweaty skin.

Moreover, it will be supplied to members of the Raketa.Fit club free of charge. Each client is entitled to such an accessory to simplify the identification process when entering the club and using safes and lockers.

What features does it have?

Manufacturers have skimped on various functions that are inherent in fitness bracelets from other companies. He is not able to count calories, steps taken, distance. And he does not take other indicators.

The new bracelet has several features:

1. Allows you to calmly train in Raketa.Fit clubs without carrying documents with you;
2. Works instead of a key for fitness club lockers;
3. Can act as a replacement for a bank card.

Yes exactly. With this bracelet you can safely pay for services where contactless cards work.

Bracelet or bank card?

Two in one. A bank card chip is sewn inside the accessory, capable of working using contactless technology. Previously, such accessories allowed paying only in a limited area (for example, inside the Raketa.Fit fitness club). But cooperation with Alfa Bank provided the opportunity to make a full-fledged “wrist card”.

The following information is collected inside the accessory:

1. Biometric parameters of the owner;
2. Banking information allowing you to use the card everywhere;
3. Fitness club client ID.

During production, a chip from a MasterCard PayPass card is used. The bracelet also has a PIN code, and its owner has his own separate account.

Further development of the tracker

For now it’s just a strip of material with a fastener, holes and a bank chip. But in the future, the administration of the fitness club plans to turn it into a full-fledged sports bracelet. That is, add the ability to read activity, heartbeat and other parameters necessary for athletes.

Read also:

Loan in Alfa Bank: four payment methods via Sberbank card

For such a set of functions you will need a special application. And they promise to develop it too. And also to create special lines of bracelets with updated designs, ordered from leading specialists in the country.

But for now you have to be content with a bank card and at the same time a pass to the fitness club.

Who will need it?

This accessory will appeal to people who love sports and are members of the Raketa.Fit fitness club. Without membership, it is impossible to get a card - all transactions and services are provided through the member’s personal account. In addition, such a system allows participants not to worry about documents, passes and keys for lockers - now all these functions are embedded in the bracelet.

IN Everyday life athletes can say goodbye to their wallet and use a new accessory as a card.

How to use the Alfa Bank fitness bracelet: more about the service

Naturally, such an accessory cannot be used like any other bank card. You can’t insert it into an ATM or put it into a payment terminal. What then can you do with it and how can you top up the account attached to the chip?

First of all, it is a debit bank card. And the client’s account is necessarily attached to it, where the money will be stored and from where it will be spent. But in this case, the account will not be in the bank, but directly in the personal account of the Raketa.Fit fitness club. Through an account on the website, you can monitor your wrist card and top it up. To use a fitness bracelet with a banking chip, you do not need to open an account with any bank. It already exists - the project works on a prepaid system.

To withdraw money, you simply need to touch the bracelet with the chip (it is located inside the accessory under the image of a rocket) to the payment terminal. Naturally, the latter must have the technological ability to accept contactless payments.

In this case, you only need to enter a PIN code for amounts over 1000 rubles.

If the bracelet is suddenly stolen or lost, you must contact the administration of the fitness club and close the account that is linked to the chip. All bracelets and cabinets associated with them are disposable. Therefore, the client will have to pay to be given a new accessory and have an account opened for him. In this case, the money, if it remains on the old bracelet, must be transferred to the new one.

Risks and positive aspects of the new product

Naturally, the new payment method did not break records for security and convenience. He remains the same bank card, only in a new form factor. But it has enough of its own pros and cons that are worth examining.