Russians will lose access to the last Visa and Mastercard cards
In Russia, Visa and Mastercard cards with extended validity will soon stop working.
According to The Moscow Times, Alla Bakina, Director of the National Payment Card System (NSPK), stated that the Central Bank is continuing discussions with banks regarding their disconnection.
“I think that quite soon appropriate decisions will be made, and we will reach a consensus,” she said, according to Interfax. Bakina noted that although international payment systems technically still support previously issued cards, “the product is not developing.”
NSPK CEO Dmytro Dubynin had earlier announced the disconnection of the cards, citing risks associated with the expiration of security certificates in their chips starting January 1, 2025.
International payment systems left Russia after the start of the war in Ukraine. At that time, Russian banks continued to operate these cards because transactions were processed through NSPK (created by the Central Bank after the first sanctions over the annexation of Crimea in 2014). However, such cards no longer work abroad.
