Apple Pay closes loophole that allowed Russian users to pay with Mir cards
Apple Pay will no longer support Russia’s Mir payment system, closing a loophole that allowed Russians to continue using the service amid economic sanctions imposed on the country, Reuters reports.
“Apple has notified the NSPK [Russia’s National Payment Card system] that it is discontinuing support for Mir cards in the Apple Pay payment service,” – the Mir website says. “Since March 24, uploading new Mir cards to the service is not available.” The company also notes that any Mir cards that were previously added to Apple Pay will stop working within “the next few days.” Apple Pay first added support for Mir cards last year.
According to the Guardian, Mir is owned by Russia’s Central Bank and was created in response to economic sanctions imposed on Russia after it annexed Crimea in 2014. According to Central Bank statistics, Mir cards account for about 32 percent of all new cards issued in the country.
Google is also taking steps to sever ties with Mir, the WSJ reports. The company has reportedly suspended a pilot program that began last October that allowed users to connect their Mir cards to Google Pay. “Google Pay is suspending payment-related services in Russia due to disruptions in payment services that are out of our control,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement to the WSJ.
The Verge reached out to Google and Apple for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Many Russian users were disconnected from Apple Pay and Google Pay after several countries imposed financial sanctions against major Russian banks, including VTB Group, Sovcombank, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank and Otkritie FC. Earlier this month, Visa and MasterCard suspended their operations in Russia, banning Russians from using their credit or debit cards outside the country or for international online payments.
