In which countries are Mir cards accepted?

In which countries do they accept Mir cards, and where have they abandoned the Russian payment system – in the Kommersant certificate.

Impact of sanctions

Banks in many countries began to abandon the Mir payment system in 2022 amid sanctions imposed on Russia due to a special operation in Ukraine. On September 15, 2022, the US Treasury threatened sanctions for using the Mir system outside Russia.

On February 23, 2024, the National Payment Card System (NSCP), which is the operator of the Mir payment system, came under US sanctions. The NSPK reported that there are no restrictions on working with foreign partners on the side of the Mir payment system and foreign banks make decisions on accepting cards independently. In this regard, the operator of the Kyrgyz payment system Elkart reported that cards from the Russian payment system Mir will no longer be accepted in Kyrgyzstan starting April 5, 2024.

Where and how are Mir cards accepted?

Mir cards are accepted without restrictions in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Belarus. This means that you can pay at any place where card payments are accepted, and you can withdraw cash from any ATM.

The Mir card is accepted with restrictions in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Cuba, Venezuela And Vietnam.

Armenia

From March 30, 2024, most banks in Armenia refused to work with the Mir payment system. The Armenian payment system ArCa stopped accepting Mir cards from March 30, 2024 due to the imposition of sanctions on the NSPK. VTB Armenia Bank continues to work with the Mir card in Armenia.

Kazakhstan

On February 27, 2024, Freedom Finance Bank stopped all operations with the Mir payment system. In 2022, the Mir card was no longer accepted by Halyk Bank (People’s Bank of Kazakhstan), Center-Credit Bank and Bereke bank (formerly Sberbank Kazakhstan).

Tajikistan

The two largest banks in Tajikistan – Amonatbonk and Dushanbe City – support work with the Russian payment system Mir. You can withdraw cash from ATMs, and you can pay by card in some terminals. However, relations between the NSPK and the Tajik Korti Milli are established by the same agreement as with the Armenian ArCa and the Kyrgyz Elkart, so one can expect that cooperation will also be terminated in the near future.

Cuba

There are terminals where payment with the Mir card is available in approximately 20 thousand points of the country. In the future, the Cuban authorities want to make accepting Mir cards mandatory for all establishments.

Venezuela

In Venezuela, Mir cards are accepted by the country’s largest bank, Banco de Venezuela. Trade and service enterprises in the most popular tourist locations are prepared to accept cards.

Vietnam

In Vietnam, Mir cards are accepted by VRB Bank (Vietnamese-Russian Bank).

Where are they planning to introduce the World map?

Egypt, Mongolia, India, Sri Lanka, Iran, Indonesia, Mauritius plan to introduce the “World” map on their territory. Also Nicaragua, UAE, Azerbaijan, Thailand, Bahrain, Mexico, China, Syria, Jordan, Myanmar, Peru And Malaysia are negotiating with the Russian side about the possible launch of the Mir payment system.

The Central Bank is looking for an alternative to the Mir card

In April 2023, it became known that the Central Bank was looking for an alternative to the Mir cards together with other countries. Elvira Nabiullina said: “We have built a system of gateways between our payment systems so that we can pay. This does not work in all countries, but we will continue. Depends not only on us, but also on our partners. Nevertheless, such opportunities will appear, including we are now actively working with Turkey.” Alternative options are discussed individually with each country, including prepaid cards or cards from payment systems of these countries.