Sergey Popov was born on 28 April 1960 in Leningrad in a working-class family. He is a Russian.
In 1983, he graduated from the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute. M. I. Kalinina, specialty "mechanical engineer of hydraulic engineering".
Between 1983 and 1990, he was engaged in scientific and teaching activities at the Department of Hydraulic Engineering of the LPU named after. M. I. Kalinina.[3][4]
He studied as a postgraduate student at LPI. From 1983 to 1990 he was a member of the CPSU.
In 1989, he participated in the founding congress of the Leningrad People's Front. From 1990 to 1992, he was a deputy of the Leningrad City Council, and was a member of the planning and financial-budgetary commission. In 1992 he became one of the organizers of the New Liberals club.
Between 1992 and 1996, Popov was president and executive director of the Association of Commercial Banks of St. Petersburg.[5]
In 1993, Popov became a member of the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the first convocation from the South-Eastern constituency No. 212, St. Petersburg (won, gaining 17.11% of the vote).[6]
He was a member of the Russia's Choice faction, a member of the Committee on Budget, Taxes, Banks and Finance. In March 1994, he was a member of the initiative group for the creation of the Democratic Choice of Russia (DVR) party. On 14 March 1995, he left the faction and joined the Stability deputy group.
In 1995, he received the qualification "Master of Public Administration" at the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. He left the State Duma the same year.
From 1996 to 2002 he worked at the Industrial Construction Bank of St. Petersburg. From 2002 to 2010 he worked at CJSC Baltic Bank. In 2010 he was an adviser to the chairman of the board of JSCB Derzhava. Since November 2010, deputy chairman of the Board of JSCB Derzhava.