Russian Mir payment system cards have already begun to be accepted in Cuba

“The Mir payment system continues to work on the issue of international acceptance of cards in friendly countries, including Cuba, which is very popular among Russian tourists. Cash can already be withdrawn from Mir cards at ATMs of local banks,” Mir’s press service told Sputnik.

For its part, Sputnik also noted that cash withdrawals could be made by converting rubles into Cuban pesos.

Earlier this month, Russia’s ambassador to Havana, Andrei Guskov, announced to Sputnik that the necessary steps to integrate the Mir system in Cuba are nearing completion, stressing that the implementation of independent payment mechanisms will have a positive effect on the sphere of tourism and bilateral ties in general.

In March 2022, US companies Visa and Mastercard announced the suspension of their services in Russia due to the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

The Central Bank of Russia announced that all cards of the Visa and Mastercard international payment systems issued by Russian banks would continue to operate in the country in the usual way until their expiration date but would cease to be functional abroad.

To date, cards of the Mir payment system, launched in 2015, are accepted in Turkey, Vietnam, South Korea, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia.

With information from Sputnik