From July 1, banks will begin to form a 'digital fingerprint' of devices. Comment by Olga Nevelskaya, Head of CBW No. 203
June 17, 2026
Starting July 1, banks will begin creating a "digital fingerprint" of devices. Comment by Olga Nevelskaya, Head of CBW No. 203
From July 1, 2026, new financial service standards will come into effect in Belarus. Henceforth, all banks are obliged to form a so-called "digital fingerprint" of the client's device, one of the parameters of which is geolocation. These measures are aimed at protecting citizens' funds from cybercriminals, but they raise many questions from users. How will personal data be stored, should there be restrictions when traveling abroad, and what should those who are not ready to provide their device parameters do? Olga Nevelskaya, Head of CBW No. 203 of OJSC "ASB Belarusbank", answered these and other questions in an interview with our newspaper.
?— Olga Vladimirovna, what exactly will change for ordinary users of remote banking services from July 1?
— When entering and using the remote banking service system, banks will begin to collect certain device parameters to form a "digital fingerprint". This is a mandatory requirement of the new standards, the purpose of which is to centrally combat cybercrime and protect clients' funds.
?— Geolocation is named as one of the mandatory parameters. This causes some concern among people. How does the bank guarantee its security?
— There is no reason for concern. The geolocation parameter is stored in encrypted form. The bank does not transfer it to third parties. An exception is provided only for cases of detecting a fraudulent transaction — then the "digital fingerprint" (including geolocation) must be transferred to the National Bank. This is a direct requirement of the standard. I want to emphasize: this parameter is only one of many that are analyzed in aggregate.
?— Will there be problems with access to the banking application for clients traveling abroad?
— No, there will be no restrictions. If a client, for example, used the mobile application in the Republic of Belarus and then traveled abroad, access from the same device will be allowed. In the "digital fingerprint" in this situation, only the geolocation parameter will change. The system will consider this a normal situation.
However, if an attacker tries to log into your account from an unfamiliar device and from a region unusual for you, the system will detect an anomaly and deny access. This is precisely what the protection is about.
?— Olga Vladimirovna, what do users need to do on July 1 and after? Is any preliminary preparation required?
— No special actions will be required. Upon first login to remote banking channels, the system itself will prompt you to grant the necessary permissions. Just follow the on-screen instructions.
?— What if a client, for some reason, does not want or cannot provide their device parameters?
— In this case, the client retains the ability to use all banking products in full. However, there will be one restriction: access to them through remote banking channels will become unavailable. All other services (e.g., through a bank branch or ATMs) are provided without any changes.
"Zarya"