Stanislav Lazarev: The Market Is Moving Toward Better Service and Healthy Competition Among Technology Solutions

Stanislav Lazarev, deputy general director for sales at A7 LLC, discussed the goals the company is pursuing at the Global Digital Forum, why the market needs alternative payment solutions, and what opportunities cooperation with African countries can unlock.

– For us, participating in the forum is primarily about practical results. We meet potential international partners to establish direct contacts and build the infrastructure connections needed to process payments. The fewer intermediaries between us, the better.

In my view, the biggest change is that technology is now focused on improving the customer experience. A couple of years ago, the question was whether an international payment could be made at all. Today, it has become a competitive market with a range of different offerings.

The goal of technology is to deliver a seamless service that is just as convenient as the traditional cross-border payment channels customers used before. Technology also allows us to manage an extensive payment infrastructure spanning 100 countries efficiently, accurately, and with minimal risk.

As for the industry’s development, solutions that bring multiple payment instruments together will be in demand. We need these technologies ourselves, and we are working to develop them in-house. The market must move beyond replacing one payment monopoly with another. Instead, it needs a diversified system with multiple options, one that is resilient and free from discrimination. I believe the industry’s future will be shaped by technologies that combine different payment solutions and jurisdictions.

We see strong potential in two areas. The first is establishing direct relationships with as broad a range of partners as possible. These include banks in different countries and companies that operate in those markets and trade with the Russian Federation. The second is attracting new customers. For example, we are opening offices in Africa and plan to expand into other regions. These are markets where demand for reliable payment services is high.

It is important to build a reliable digital service that turns what once seemed complicated or impossible into something familiar and convenient. Customers should notice no difference between making a payment through a bank, as they did before, and using a payment agent. In my view, the market is moving toward better service and healthy competition among different technology solutions.