Central Bank plans to bring Mir cards to 5-6 new countries in 2023 – Kommersant

The Central Bank is working on expanding the list of countries where cards of the Russian Mir system would be accepted, said Alla Bakina, director of the department of the national payment system of the Bank of Russia. The regulator expects that the system will work in 5-6 more states in 2023.

“We are working on expanding the list of countries where the Mir card would be accepted. We plan to bring Mir cards to five or six new countries in 2023,” said Ms. Bakina “Izvestia”. The director of the department explained that some countries are afraid of secondary sanctions, but others are ready for public cooperation.

Mir cards have been accepted in Cuba since spring. Ms. Bakina claims that in summer the cards will be accepted in the entire POS-terminal network of the island.

The representative of the Central Bank said that the service of cross-border transfer through the Fast Payment System with the participation of foreign banks is offered by five Russian banks. There are partners in three countries, their number has reached 14. So far, only transfers from Russia to abroad are available, but work is underway on the possibility of transfers from abroad to Russia.

Mir cards are accepted in Abkhazia, Armenia, Belarus, Venezuela, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, South Korea, South Ossetia and Cuba.

In May Russia and Iran reached bilateral agreements required for the use of cards of the Russian payment system “Mir”. Its adaptation to the payment system of Iran discussed from August 2022.

Details – in the material “Kommersant FM” “Russia and Iran will meet for Mir”.

Leonid Uvarchev