Since March 18, Visa cardholders of Belarusian "Alfa-Bank" have faced restrictions when making payments outside the country. Payments are not processed in retail outlets and online services, ATMs do not dispense cash, and transfers by card number are unavailable.
The restrictions affected the United Kingdom and the European Union countries, as well as Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The list includes Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and more than 20 other countries in the region.
The bank clarified that the issue only affects Visa payment system cards. Mastercard cards are working as usual. Customers are advised to transfer funds through the ERIP system to cards of other Belarusian banks and use alternative payment methods.
Similar difficulties have arisen before. In the summer of 2025, card transactions were partially restricted in Europe, and in the fall, cards stopped being added to Apple Pay. However, previously connected wallets continued to work.
The bank did not specify the timeframe for restoring services and promised to inform customers additionally.