ArmInfo.The Kremlin does not regard the refusal of Armenian banks to service Russian Mir cards as an unfriendly step, but explains this decision by pressure from the United States, follows from a statement by spokesperson of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
"We have repeatedly said that many countries are facing unprecedented pressure from the United States - the threat of secondary sanctions, the threat of sanctions, etc. Of course, economic institutions, companies, banks are taking measures to hedge risks," Peskov said, quoted by Vedomosti.
The spokesperson explained that Russia will continue to work with Armenia to correct the situation. "We, together with our Armenian friends, will continue to discuss and compensate for the harm that this unprecedented American pressure is causing," Peskov added.
On the night of March 30, Armenian banks, which are members of the national payment system Armenian Card (ArCa), stopped servicing Russian Mir cards.
The National Payment Card System (NPCS), operator of Mir cards, confirmed that it has received an official notification from the payment system of Armenia that its member banks will stop servicing Russian cards as of March 30, a NPCS representative told Vedomosti. "Mir" cards have been working in Armenia since 2017 within the framework of the joint project of the NPCS and the Armenian Card, national cards were mutually accepted in the infrastructures of the two countries: ArCa - in Russia, "Mir" - in Armenia. Also, several Armenian banks issued ArCa-Mir co-branded cards.
Payments with Russian cards are now available in Abkhazia, Belarus and South Ossetia. In several other countries, Mir cards work partially: they are Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Since 2023, Russian cards have also been accepted in Venezuela (through the largest local acquiring bank Banco de Venezuela) and Cuba. In mid-March, Kazakhstan's Bereke Bank announced the termination of interaction with the Russian NPCS.
