The Russian bank PSB has built out banking across Russia's new regions, expanded cross-border payments and is eyeing Africa next

Russia's PSB bank plays a significant role in the new regions of the country, and the organization has been actively developing infrastructure in these territories since June 2022, PSB Deputy Chairman Mikhail Dorofeyev said in an interview with RT on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"We now have 456 offices... Our clients include almost 3 million individuals and more than 110,000 legal entities. Over this period, we have built a Russian banking system there," Dorofeyev said.

The bank is now present in 147 localities across all four new regions, including dangerous areas.

"In such dangerous areas as Kakhovka and Novaya Kakhovka, offices are open," he said.

Speaking about the bank's international operations, Dorofeyev mentioned the work of the A7 platform, which provides services for international cross-border transfers. According to the PSB deputy chairman, this is an example of successful public-private partnership.

"The main currencies in our payments are the yuan, the dirham, and the ruble. By the end of 2025, the turnover of the Russian ruble and the currencies of friendly states exceeded 85%," he added.

At the same time, Africa is a strategic direction for PSB: over the next two years, the bank plans to open offices in 20 countries on the continent.

Responding to a question about the use of artificial intelligence in PSB's operations, Dorofeyev emphasized that in banking, AI is viewed as a tool, not a replacement for people.

In its current understanding, artificial intelligence is above all the processing of large volumes of data, though it is also used for routine operations such as preparing simple documents and working in call centers.