The head of the National Payment System Department of the Central Bank of Russia, Alla Bakina, told Izvestia about the expansion of the geography of Mir cards: another 5-6 countries will join it by the end of the year.
"We are working on expanding the list of countries where the Mir card would be accepted. Our plan is to introduce Mir cards in five to six new countries in 2023", said Alla Bakina. She added that "there are states that fear secondary measures and listen to the sanction policy", but there are also countries ready to cooperate.
As for Mir cards in Cuba, according to Bakina, the Cuban side is already setting up POS terminals. "We are following the plan with them: this summer, the cards will work throughout the POS terminal network in Cuba. We are sure that this will be convenient for our tourists", she said. By the way, regular flights between Russia and Cuba have recently resumed.
There are also more people using the cross-border transfer service through the Fast Payment System. According to Bakina, in May 2023, twice as many people used it as in April. "So far, transfers from Russia abroad are available, but participants are also working on the possibility of transferring from abroad to the country", said the head of the Central Bank department.