To date, 10 out of 23 commercial banks in Kyrgyzstan have suspended, fully or in part, servicing cards of Mir Russian payment system. Call centers of the banks told 24.kg news agency.
Companion, Bakai Bank and Doscredobank were the first to announce the suspension of services.
«We inform you that servicing of Mir cards in ATMs and POS terminals of the bank has been suspended. We apologize for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding,» the press service of the Bank of Asia said.
Aiyl Bank and the Kyrgyz-Swiss Bank said that they did not serve Mir cards for technical reasons.
Halyk Bank does not work with these cards due to the geopolitical situation.
Demir Bank also suspended servicing of Mir cards. The bank does not report the reasons and date of resumption of work with the Russian payment system.
Eurasian Savings Bank JSC simply informed that they do not service Mir cards.
FINCA Bank previously stated that «thanks to cooperation with the Russian Mir payment system, you will be able to use FINCA ELCARD not only in Kyrgyzstan and Russia, but also in Belarus and Armenia. It is possible to withdraw money from the card at any ATM of the bank that accepts Elcard». But the bank does not service the Mir card itself.
There is no card department in Amanbank and no ATMs either.
Commercial bank KYRGYZSTAN suspends servicing of Mir cards of some Russian banks in its devices from October 20 due to the geopolitical situation.
Mir cards are not serviced by the following Russian banks:
- Sberbank of Russia PJSC;
- Vneshtorgbank JSC;
- Promsvyazbank PJSC;
- Alfa Bank JSC;
- Sovcombank PJSC;
- Bank Otkritie PJSC;
- Gazprombank JSC;
- Rosselkhozbank JSC;
- Novikombank JSC;
- Credit Bank of Moscow PJSC;
- AB Rossiya JSC;
- Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development PJSC;
- SMP Bank JSC;
- Transcapitalbank PJSC;
- Investment Trade Bank PJSC;
- Industrial Savings Bank CJSC;
- Black Sea Bank for Development and Reconstruction JSC;
- Industrial Savings Bank CJSC;
- Genbank JSC;
- Russian National Commercial Bank;
- Far East Bank JSC.
EcoIslamicBank did not work with Mir cards at all.
It was not possible to contact FinanceCreditBank CAB by the phone numbers indicated on its website.
Not all banks refused to service Mir cards.
Tolubai Bank accepts cards, but you can cash out funds from them only through an ATM. It is not possible to cash out through the cashier.
«Yes, we accept Mir cards. You can withdraw funds from them at our ATMs. A fee is charged in this case. As for payment through POS terminals, it is better to clarify this point at retail outlets,» Bai-Tushum Bank said.
It is still possible to cash out money from Mir cards of Russian banks at Capital Bank, Kyrgyzkommertsbank, Kyrgyz Investment and Credit Bank (via ATMs).
«Optima Bank works with Mir cards. Through branches or ATMs of the bank, you can cash out funds from the card,» the financial and credit institution said.
Keremet Bank serves Mir, VISA, UnionPay, Elcart, Zolotaya Korona cards in its ATMs.
RSK Bank is currently servicing Mir cards. But how long this will last is unknown. The bank noted that the situation can change at any time.
The National Bank has previously noted that the country’s commercial banks themselves decide on cooperation with a particular payment system.
At the same time, last week, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk announced the need to expand the network of banks in the Kyrgyz Republic that use Russian payment systems at the Russian-Kyrgyz Investment Forum last week.
«It is necessary to actively promote, develop, expand the network of banks that use Russian payment systems, both the system for confirming financial messages and the Mir card, which is accepted in Kyrgyzstan. We need to expand this network too,» he said.
The United States imposed sanctions against Vladimir Komlev, Director General of the national payment card system of Russia (Mir card operators). The system itself is not included in the sanctions lists. At the same time, it was reported that the United States could impose sanctions for supporting the use of Mir cards outside of Russia.
«The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is ready to take action for support of attempts to circumvent sanctions against Russia, including expanding the use of the National Payment Card System and the national Mir payment system outside the Russian Federation,» the statement said.
Turkish Isbank and DenizBank, as well as some banks in Kazakhstan and Vietnam, announced suspension of accepting Mir cards.
