Keremet Bank has suspended money transfers via Russian banks for an indefinite period.
«The bank informs that money transfers via mobile applications of Russian banks Sberbank PJSC, MTS Bank PJSC, Tbank (Tinkoff) JSC and the operator of the national payment system of the Russian Federation NSPK JSC in both directions have been suspended for an indefinite period,» the commercial bank’s website says.
Recall, 97.45 percent of the shares of this bank belong to the Ministry of Finance of Kyrgyzstan.
Keremet Bank’s statement also says that transfers are available via the following international money transfer systems: Zolotaya Korona, Western Union, Unistream and others.
Earlier, MBank notified about the suspension of money transfers via Russian banks. It stated that «the service was temporarily unavailable for an indefinite period,» and incoming transfers will be made through banks that are not subject to sanctions, using ruble details.
Korean Kookmin Bank, one of the key correspondents for banks in the country, has stopped making SWIFT transfers in dollars for clients of Kyrgyz financial institutions since September 2024. This led to a search for alternative solutions in the banking system of the Kyrgyz Republic in order to avoid disruptions in customer service and ensure uninterrupted international settlements.
In the spring 2024, banks in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan suspended servicing of Mir cards after the National Payment Card System came under blocking U.S. sanctions in February. In April, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov said it was a temporary measure. According to him, Bishkek received a letter from a Latvian company that deals with software and maintenance of the republic’s interbank processing center (IPC). It said that the company would disconnect the IPC, if the Mir cards continued to work in Kyrgyzstan.
At the beginning of June, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexander Pankin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that Russia was working on the issue of resuming the operation of Mir cards in Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.
