In recent weeks, against the backdrop

of negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States, the issue of returning large international

payment systems MasterCard and VISA to Russia has been Why You Shouldn’t Expect  widely discussed. However, there are not many grounds for

this event.

In this article, we will study the opinions of various experts, try to determine the likelihood of the return of payment

systems, and also consider alternative ways of making international payments and transfers in the current situation

.

Who replaced VISA and MasterCard in Russia

In March 2022, foreign payment systems announcedWhy You Shouldn’t Expect the suspension of operations in Russia. In response to this, the

country accelerated the development and support of the national payment system MIR, which was launched back in

2015. The cards of this system began to be actively integrated into the everyday financial transactions of Russians.

Russian banks also expanded international cooperation with the Chinese UnionPay system. 

These alternatives helped partially

compensate for the absence of VISA and MasterCard in Russia. However, both of these payment systems did not cover

the usual needs of Russians regarding international transactions – making purchases abroad and transferring money to

Europe or the USA remained problematic.

First announcement of VISA and MasterCard return in 2025

Following recent negotiations between representatives mayotte business email list of Russia and the United States, optimistic sentiments have

emerged in the market. News has begun to be published with information about the imminent return of American

brands to the territory of the Russian Federation, including Coca-Cola, Apple, Uniqlo, McDonaldʼs.

The statement by Anatoly Aksakov

Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Financial for example, if one of your goals is Markets, which was voiced in an interview with TASS, did not go

unnoticed . He suggested that VISA and MasterCard could  once again occupy their niche in the Russian market.

I think that they will return soon and will offer their services. Because they have lost a large

market and will strive to enter this market, but it will, of course, be more difficult, because

we have become accustomed to new systems. The national payment card system has

demonstrated technological sophistication and efficiency. At the same time, these systems

will not simply enter the Russian market because we have become accustomed to relying on

our payment system, the chairman noted.

Other opinions

This statement was followed by the opinions of other phone database experts in the Russian financial sector. Most of

them called for not rushing – it is too early to talk about American companies entering the Russian Federation again

and taking their previous places. There have been no official requests from companies to Russian structures.