Sberbank sees improvements in payments with Russian cards in Turkey

ST. PETERSBURG. July 7 (Interfax) - Russian tourists will be able to pay for stays at some hotels in Turkey with Russian bank cards, Sberbank first deputy CEO Kirill Tsarev said.

"There are positive changes. At this point it will be possible for Russian tourists to pay with a Russian card at several hotels, essentially online. We're working on expanding this circle significantly," Tsarev told reporters on the sidelines of the Central Bank's Financial Congress in St. Petersburg.

Until September 2022, it was possible to pay with Russia's Mir card in Turkey, as well as withdraw cash at the ATMs of five Turkish banks. At the beginning of September, Russian tourists vacationing in Turkey began having problems using their Russian bank cards. Later, private lenders IsBank and DenizBank announced they were suspending work with the Russian payment system, and on September 27 they were joined by three state banks - Ziraat Bankasi, VakifBank and Halkbank. The banks attributed these decisions to warnings from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).