Samsung Pay to drop Russian Mir payment card in April

Tech giant Samsung announced it will stop supporting the country's Mir payment card on its popular Samsung Pay mobile wallet service from 3 April 2024. The South Korean company cited the move in a statement on its website, though it did not provide details on the rationale behind the decision. Samsung's move follows similar actions by Apple and Google last year to cut off Mir card integration from their respective digital wallet platforms amid Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, AFP notes. Mir has emerged as one of the only viable payment card options for Russians after Visa and Mastercard suspended operations in the country in 2022.

"Starting from 3 April 2024, adding and using MIR cards in Samsung Pay will not be available. At the same time, the functionality of adding and using club cards/ loyalty cards in the Samsung Pay app will work unchanged," a message in the Russian-language section of Samsung Pay reads.

The announcement deals another setback to Moscow's efforts to maintain financial connectivity for its citizens in the face of unprecedented economic restrictions from the United States and its allies imposed for the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Last month, the US Treasury imposed sanctions directly targeting Russia's National Payment Card System (NPCS), the entity that operates the Mir network.

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