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Bank of Russia seeks to widen geographical acceptance of Mir cards

Currently the payment system operates in 11 countries

© AP Photo/Petros Karadjias

MOSCOW, September 16. /TASS/. The Bank of Russia intends to carry on dialogue with foreign partners to widen the geographic scope of nations accepting Mir payment cards, the regulator's press service told TASS.

"Mir cards and other NSPK services (such as resident cards, social, student, and transport cards, as well as a loyalty program) continue to operate normally throughout Russia. The decision to open up their infrastructure for accepting Mir cards is made by foreign partners themselves. In addition, we want to maintain discussions about expanding the locations where Mir cards are accepted," the regulator said.

Currently Mir cards are accepted in 11 countries: Turkey, Vietnam, South Korea, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The possibility of accepting Mir cards is being discussed with Iran, Cuba, Egypt and Venezuela.

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