HAVANA, April 18 (Sputnik) – The Russian bank is working to introduce Mir (World) cards, part of the National Payment Card System (NSPK), in Cuba, the local press confirmed Monday, citing the central bank’s first vice president of this Eurasian nation, Olga Skorobogatova.
“There are several countries that would like to cooperate with us. For example, Cuba is one of the latest projects we are currently working on. In other words, our citizens will be able to use the Mir card in Cuba,” Skorobogatova stressed at a working meeting of the State Duma (lower house of parliament) and is quoted here by the Cuban agency Prensa Latina.
According to the bureau, the use of these payment cards in Cuba represents an important step towards reopening Russian tourism to the island and will allow vacationers to pay for their services with Mir once flights between the two countries resume.
Russian Mir cards are accepted in Abkhazia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, South Ossetia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
The influx of tourists from Russia to Cuba has been significant over the past two years, becoming one of the leading markets on the island during the Covid-19 pandemic, mainly in the resort town of Varadero (West) in the northeastern keys. .
As a result of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States and the European Union have imposed a number of sanctions on Moscow, including a ban on using the Visa and MasterCard payment systems that make it difficult for Russian tourists to make payments in various tourist destinations. (Sputnik)