ATMs in Cuba begin to accept Mir payment system cards

MOSCOW. July 26 (Interfax) - Russian tourists can now withdraw cash in pesos from the cards of the Mir payment system in Cuba, tourism counselor of the Cuban embassy to Russia Juan Carlos Escalona Pellicer told Interfax.

"Russians can now use the Russian Mir bank card in Cuba. However, so far only ATMs accept it. Now the technical issues are being resolved, and by the end of the year it will be possible to pay with it in all outlets," he said.

The ATMs are located both in Havana and at the country's resorts, Pellicer said. Tourists can withdraw cash pesos to pay for their purchases at Cuban resorts.

The National Payment Card System was considering the possibility of using Mir cards in Cuba, General Director of the company Vladimir Komlev said in late March.

As previously reported, Russia is looking into the service of cards belonging to the Mir national payment system with Egypt and Venezuela.

Mir cards are currently accepted in 11 countries: Turkey, Vietnam, South Korea, Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The National Payment Card System was set up by the Russian authorities in 2014 after a number of sanctions were imposed on Russia. The company announced the issuance of its first Mir cards in December 2015.