Apple Pay will no longer support the Russian card payment system Mir, thereby eliminating a loophole that allowed Russians to continue using the service despite economic restrictions.
Mir is owned by Russia’s Central Bank and was founded in reaction to economic restrictions imposed on Russia following its annexation of Crimea in 2014. According to Central Bank statistics, Mir cards account for approximately 32% of all new cards issued in the country.
Google is also attempting to sever connections with Mir. According to reports, the corporation has halted a pilot operation that began last October and allowed users to connect their Mir cards to Google Pay.
Numerous Russian consumers have been unable to use Apple Pay or Google Pay as a result of financial sanctions placed by numerous nations on Russia’s largest banks, including VTB Group, Sovcombank, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank, and Otkritie FC Bank. Visa and MasterCard ceased operations in Russia earlier this month, thereby prohibiting Russians from using their credit or debit cards outside the country or for international internet payments.
