While still at home in Russia, having been warned that I needed to make sure that I would not have problems withdrawing money in a foreign country, I came to the branch of the unforgettable Sberbank. When it was my turn, my question “Will my card be valid in India?” the woman answered categorically, “The mastercard card is valid in any country in the world.”

I tried to convey to her that I don’t need any country in the world. Can you tell me specifically will my card be valid in India? Will I have problems?

The Sberbank Mastercard card is valid in any country in the world - she menacingly repeated her mantra.

What about Burkina Faso? - I couldn’t stand it

- WHAT is this? – the employee was very surprised. And she claimed that “in any country in the world”)))

After that I made another attempt and called toll-free line Sberbank. They told me that I could go safely, there would be no problems with the card. They checked my card number. “So I can withdraw money from my card in India?” - yes, you can confidently answer me.

Having decided that now I had secured my insurance, I flew to India with a calm soul in this regard.

Problems with the card began immediately at Delhi airport (((

When trying to withdraw money, the ATM simply wrote a refusal, and to top it off, a message came to the phone that the card was blocked... In a foreign country at almost midnight without a penny of money with assurances from Sberbank that everything will be fine - a “super” situation!

There is no money even for a taxi - they don’t take rubles. We were helped out by an Indian who also ordered a taxi. He took 1000 rubles from us and paid for a taxi of 800 rupees. Then we were met by friends and a hotel was booked. But if this had not happened, I don’t know what we would have done.

The next day they started calling Sber to unblock the card. After negotiations (at international rates cellular communications, naturally, at our expense) the card was unblocked. But I warned IN ADVANCE that I would be in India, I would withdraw money, so why was the card blocked when I tried to withdraw money in this very India? Why the hell did I call them in Russia and warn them and inquire?

The adventures with the card and Sber did not end there. After arriving in Goa, the card stopped working. When I tried to withdraw money, I just started receiving an SMS saying “Call Sberbank.”

I already called Sberbank. I was transferred from specialist to specialist, I listened to music for several minutes, until they finally figured it out and set something up. They inquired about the date by which I would be in India (I told them this date back in Russia!), and assured me that everything should now work. The conversation lasted 16 minutes... and cost me almost 200 rupees.

A very typical situation for Sberbank, when no one is responsible for anything. And Sberbank employees are not at all interested in your problems. They often talk through clenched teeth and are not rude only because “all conversations are recorded.” There is something to compare with after communicating with employees

Sberbank took part in Aero India 2017, one of the largest aviation industrial exhibitions in Asia. As part of the event, Sberbank held negotiations with partners and clients.

During the exhibition, Sberbank signed a memorandum of understanding with Stork GmbH, a supplier of titanium and aluminum products for the Indian aviation industry. Among the areas of cooperation are settlements in national currencies(rupee-ruble), trade finance, project finance under the Make in India program. On the part of Sberbank, the memorandum was signed by the head of corporate business bank branch in India - Vigen Soghomonyan.

“Sberbank in India is the support bank for servicing defense industry clients,” said Alexey Kechko, head of the branch in India. - Our clients are not only subsidiaries and representative offices of Russian enterprises, but also Indian partners. Participation in the exhibition gave us unique opportunity present our services and conduct tripartite negotiations with suppliers and buyers.”

The Sberbank branch in India provides a strategic presence for the Sberbank Group in Asia. It focuses on providing banking services for development foreign trade between India and Russia, CIS countries and other countries where the Group operates.

The branch provides clients conversion operations, settlement and cash services, bank guarantees, deposits of legal entities, lending in national currency, as well as consultations in the field of trade and economic relations between Russia and India.

A unique product of the Sberbank branch in India is direct settlements in national currencies (rupee-ruble).

Aero India 2017 was held with the support of the Indian Ministry of Defense in Bangalore from 14 to 18 February 2017.

Some financial organizations operating in the Russian Federation have representative offices in foreign countries. The largest of them seems to be Sberbank. It has many branches abroad. At the same time, this financial organization is constantly expanding its presence in other countries and developing products taking into account local specifics.

History of the development of the network of branches of Sberbank of the Russian Federation

Financial institution PJSC Sberbank Russia seems to be the largest today. She began her work back in 1841. The institution was opened due to the decree of Emperor Nicholas, who wanted to create a network of banks in the state for citizens to save money. The first branch began its work a year later, in 1842, on the territory of St. Petersburg, which allowed citizens to use its services.

Sberbank gradually expanded and by 1987 included 15 subsidiaries located in the union republics. Subsequently, the expansion of the network of branches of this financial organization led to the emergence of branches and subsidiaries outside Russia.

Savings Bank of Russia has a network of branches in the CIS countries, Europe, and Asia

When figuring out which countries Sberbank is located in, it is advisable to mention branches in the following countries:

• CIS - Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine;
• Europe - Germany, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
• Czech Republic, Switzerland;
• China;
• India;
• Türkiye.

In every region this bank pursues an individual policy for the development and expansion of the branch network. The Indian branch is single, but it is planned to be used for further development and extensions. The bank's representative offices in China and Germany have their own specific features.

They do not provide traditional banking products and do not carry out the usual financial organizations operations. Their main purpose seems to be a representative function - by forming a positive image of the company, they contribute to the promotion of its services and development.

Sberbank's work abroad

Sberbank branches abroad most often specialize in working not with individuals, but with legal entities. However, this bank has nevertheless developed a number of products for its clients that differ significantly from their domestic counterparts.

First of all, it should be noted the difference interest rates both in terms of deposits and credit offers. This difference is due to a number of economic features, level of market development and consumer sentiment. In view of this, it is inappropriate to compare them with Russian proposals.

Conditions for deposits and loans are different in Russia and abroad

European region

When considering Sberbank branches abroad, one should first of all mention the European market.

For European countries where Sberbank operates, the characteristic features seem to be more low interest on deposits, as well as more favorable conditions for consumer lending.

The products of this bank here comply with local standards.

Studying the list of services developed by Sberbank, it should be noted that the products are focused on representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, which affects the conditions. The bank's headquarters in Europe is located in Austria. The subsidiary organization was named Sberbank Europe AG.

Interest rates on deposits here range from 1.4% to 4.5%, and on consumer loans from 9.73% to 24.99%. Rates by mortgage lending also differ significantly from Russian ones - from 2.26% to 5.5%.

Asia, Türkiye and CIS

In the Asian region, Sberbank focuses on gradual development and cooperation with large corporations. At the same time, the bank does not work with individuals, unlike the states that are members of the CIS. On the territory of Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, Sberbank conducts full-fledged activities, providing its clients with the opportunity to open a deposit, take consumer loan or a mortgage.