Bank of Russia Confirms Expired Visa, MasterCard Cards to Stay Active

2025-10-09 03:32:56

(MENAFN) Expired Visa and MasterCard bank cards will remain functional in Russia without interruption, the Bank of Russia announced Wednesday, emphasizing that no drastic measures are planned to disable these payment methods.

“All cards are working. When international payment systems disappeared, we did everything we could to ensure they worked and our customers didn’t feel a thing,” said Alla Bakina, head of the Bank of Russia’s national payment system department, quoted by a state-run news agency.

“We found a solution to prevent cards from being blocked, and we won’t take any drastic steps that will inconvenience citizens. We are in dialogue with the banks about how to take the right steps to ensure all security issues are resolved,” Bakina added.

She noted that the slow discontinuation of Visa and MasterCard networks in Russia has been underway since 2022, after both companies halted operations in response to Western sanctions.

Visa and MasterCard’s suspension triggered Moscow’s push to bolster its domestic “Mir” payment platform and develop alternative bilateral payment arrangements with allied countries.

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