OREANDA-NEWS Alfa-Bank and Rosselkhoznadzor were the first to receive state accreditation to work with biometric data of citizens, the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation said in a statement.

The Ministry reminds that from 2023 all biometrics should be stored in a Single Biometric System (EBS). All companies that have ever collected biometric data are required to transfer them to the EBS. In order to work with the EBS and continue to provide services to customers, commercial organizations must obtain state accreditation.

As stated in the message, Sberbank is also accredited.

After passing the accreditation, banks can continue to provide their clients with biometrics services - remote banking, bioequaring and others. They will also be able to provide services to companies that want to use biometric technologies to recognize their customers, but do not plan to receive accreditation, the Ministry of Finance explains.

The message emphasizes that the use of biometrics for both organizations and individuals is voluntary. All citizens who have submitted biometrics will be notified of the transfer of their data to the EBS. They will be able to refuse such a transfer and deactivate their biometrics. It will be possible to refuse processing of biometric data at any time after their transfer to the EBS, including on "Public Services". "No one else will be able to access this data," the Ministry of Finance assures.