MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/. Russia’s Central Bank and the National System of Payment Cards (NSPC) have announced the launch of first cards of the Mir payments system by 7 Russian banks, according to a press release by NSPC.

The first banks that issued card of the Mir national payment system are: Gazprombank, MDM Bank, Moscow Industrial Bank, Svyaz-bank, RNCB which is operating in Crimea, as well as sanctioned banks - Rossiya and SMP Bank.

The second group of 21 banks - participants of the pilot project has already started testing the cards and plans to complete it before the end of 2015. The following year, the banks will start disclosing its acquiring network and will issue the cards.

By now, 35 Russian banks, including Sberbank, Alfa Bank and others, have become participants of the Mir payment system.