VK PAY AND HOME CREDIT BANK LAUNCH EARLY ACCESS TO INSTALMENT PLANS
It is now possible to pay for goods or services in instalments with the help of VK Pay within the VKontakte social network, the AliExpress mini application in VK and on the websites of partner shops.
The subscribers to early access will also be able to shop on the Svyaznoy, Kapsula, Warface (part of the MY.GAMES portfolio) and GeekBrains websites. In fact, more than 12 million goods and services are now available to the first users. The goods and services that are most in demand among users will be added to the list over time. In addition, users will have an option to purchase millions of goods via social networks: it will be possible to buy from VKontakte shops in instalments. All offers will be brought together by the VK Pay service.
Instalment plans by VK Pay and Home Credit Bank are the first product in Russia that can be taken out and repaid directly within social networks, as part of the VK Pay service. In order to use the new service now as part of early access, it is necessary to submit an application to https://vkpay.com/installment/. The first users will receive gifts – discounts from VK Pay’s partners. Registration takes just a few minutes and is done fully online – there is no need to visit a bank branch in order to sign a contract.
It is possible to take out a loan of up to 300,000 roubles, with the exact amount being determined by the bank. If a loan is repaid within four months, there will be no additional charge. The maturity of the loan can be extended – for example, in order to reduce monthly payments to accommodate a difficult situation resulting from the pandemic. In addition, it is possible to skip a payment once every six months without any consequences in the event of financial difficulties – all that one has to do to that end is sign up for the relevant service in advance.
Loans can be repaid through personal accounts in VK Pay. The service will remind the user of the necessity to pay in advance and on the day of the payment. It is also possible to set up automatic payments free of charge – this way, the payment schedule will be observed with regularity.
Shops that sell their goods to VKontakte will have the opportunity to receive instalment payments in the future. Interested shop owners can apply for inclusion in the programme now: https://vkpay.com/partners/.
For users, this is an opportunity to buy any goods quickly and simply without exiting social networks. VKontakte is actively developing its e-commerce business: as of today, it is possible to purchase goods from 190,000 retailers. Payments for the purchases are possible in any convenient manner, including via VK Pay.
Andrey Efimochkin, Head of Finance and Payment Technologies, Mail.ru Group, said:
“We are happy to be the first in Russia to introduce this financial product in a social network. It will help users buy the goods they like here and now. VK Pay instalment plans also give shoppers access to many special offers by our partners. For the shops, our product is a way to approach a multi-million target audience in the field of social commerce, which is currently actively gaining momentum. Home Credit Bank is one of the leaders on the credit market with many years of experience. We are happy that our colleagues took an active part in the project – we succeeded to launch it within as short a period as possible. We plan on continuing the development of VK Pay credits together with a view to offering users and partners new options – and more.”
Yuri Andresov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Home Credit Bank, said:
“Along with our partners at VK Pay, we have succeeded in setting up a unique service. For the first time ever, clients have an opportunity to buy goods directly from a social network. This is the digital future where finance companies and technology giants join forces for the convenience of customers. We will expand the range of financial products accessible through the service with the help of our own resources and through the FinTech brokers, Vsegda.Da, as well as by attracting new partners to join the project.”
MEDIA CONTACTS
Strategic Communication Department
Home Credit and Finance Bank
Tel.: +7 (495) 514 10 19
E-mail: press@homecredit.ru
Home Credit and Finance Bank [Fitch BB-, Ekspert RА ruA-, АKRA А(RU)] is a private limited company specialising in the provision of retail banking services in Russia and Kazakhstan. HCFB offers its clients a wide range of credit products and banking services. The bank has 40.1 million customers. It offers its products and services through more than 126,000 partner shops in Russia and Kazakhstan. As of 30 June 2020, the bank’s distribution network consisted of 256 offices, 236 postal departments as well as 1,306 ATMs and payment terminals across Russia and Kazakhstan.
More information is available at www.homecredit.ru
VK Pay is a finance ecosystem set up on the basis of VKontakte, which is part of Mail.ru Group. The service allows users to quickly and securely purchase goods and services from the websites of project partners and through VKontakte communities, and businesses to receive payments. Moreover, with the help of VK Pay it is possible to receive cashback and use other financial services.
Vsegda.Da is a FinTech service through which customers purchase goods for instalment payments and take out credit. At this point, Vsegda.Da is the largest platform in the field of consumer credit in terms of the number of cooperating shops, of which there are more than 78,500. More than 4 million customers have used the company’s services since 2017.