What you need to know
- Russia's national payment system Mir now supports Apple Pay.
- Eight banks in the country now support Apple Pay through Mir cards.
Russia's national payment system Mir now supports Apple Pay, with eight banks offering the service to Mir cardholders.
In a press release today Mir stated:
From today, Mir cardholders have the opportunity to use Apple Pay - a secure, secure, and confidential payment tool that allows you not to touch the buttons of the payment terminal and not transfer money from hand to hand. The security of every transaction in Apple Pay is ensured by innovative iPhone technologies. - Translated
Mir's General Director Vladimir Komlew stated that Apple Pay support "will provide Mir cardholders with another convenient, fast and secure method of contactless payment", whilst also incorporating existing Mir benefits like discounts when traveling by subway and cashback with Mir Partners. Eight banks now support Apple Pay for its Mir cardholders, they are:
- Sberbank
- VTB
- Rosselkhozbank
- PSB
- Post Bank
- Center-invest Bank
- Tinkoff Bank
- Primsotsbank.
Users can set up their Mir card for Apple Pay just as any other user would, simply by adding their card to the Wallet app on the iPhone.
Mir has been the national payment system of Russia since 2015, and was created as part of a Russian creativity competition, with cards first being issued in December of 2015.
As we reported earlier today, it has also recently been rumored that Apple Pay is coming to Korea as part of the country's K-New Deal announced by the government last week. Rumors state that part of the countries $133 billion investment in digital and green sectors includes NFC initiatives that could see Apple Pay finally debut in the country.
