It could be Ziraat Bank, Vakifbank and Halkbank. Earlier, Isbank and Denizbank refused to use Mir cards. President Erdogan promised to find an alternative to the Russian payment system
Three state-owned banks in Turkey have decided to refuse to use the Russian payment system “Mir”. This is reported by the Turkish TV channel NTV.
Which banks have ceased to use the Mir system, the report said the TV channel is not mentioned. The card was previously used by five Turkish banks: Ziraat Bank, Vakifbank, Halkbank, Isbank and Denizbank. Now it could be Ziraat Bank, Vakifbank and Halkbank.
On 19 September, two major private banks of the country, Isbank and Denizbank, stopped using “Mir” cards. Isbank said that their decision was influenced by the warning of the U.S. Treasury Department to the financial institutions. The warning stated that if they entered into new or expanded existing agreements with the National System of Payment Cards (NSPC; Mir card operator), they “risked supporting Russia’s efforts to circumvent U.S. sanctions.”
According to Reuters, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a meeting to discuss the situation and possible sanctions by Western countries. Later, Erdogan said he would discuss with the government alternatives for the “Mir” payment system.
In mid-September, the U.S. Treasury Department warned that “non-U.S. financial institutions that enter into new or expand current agreements with the NSPC risk supporting Russian efforts to circumvent U.S. sanctions. Therefore, sanctions may be imposed against such banks.
At the same time, the NSPC itself is not yet subject to U.S. sanctions. However, NSPC General Director Vladimir Komlev is under American sanctions.
After the statement of the U.S. Treasury Department, banks began to refuse to use Mir cards. Kazakhstan’s Halyk Bank and Vietnam’s BIDV stopped accepting them. On September 23 the servicing of foreign cards of the Russian payment system was suspended in Uzbekistan.