ST. PETERSBURG, July 3. /TASS/. The Bank of Russia plans to conduct an appraisal of the market value of the National System of Payment Cards (NSPC) by the end of 2026, department director Alla Bakina told reporters on the sidelines of the Financial Congress.

"We are currently at the stage of communication with market players. Certainly, the discussion of specific proposals should happen when there is a market value appraisal in hand. In terms of timing, we expect that this appraisal will be completed by the end of the year, and then there will be substantive agreements. Then we can talk about shares, allotment, and so on," Bakina said.

The Central Bank sees a sufficiently high level of interest based on the consultations held, the department director said. "These are different participants: banks, platforms, and technology players. Therefore, we believe that the deal may be completed next year," she added.

There is currently a possibility for the Bank of Russia to sell 50% minus one share of its stake in NSPC to the market, Bakina noted. "The method of selling part of the stake is clear in terms of implementation and timing. As we understood from the consultations, there is such interest among market players. Therefore, we chose this path. Firstly, the market was also interested in this. Legislation currently provides for such an opportunity, because in this regard, we do not need to change anything. Currently, there is a possibility for the Bank of Russia to sell part of its stake, 50% minus one share, to the market," she said.

It is important at the same time to increase the involvement of market participants in the further development of the payment system, to jointly determine the key areas of NSPC evolution in their interests, and to make joint decisions on tariff policy, the banker said.

"Further business development is indeed very important to be carried out in closer interaction with market players," she added.