Additionally, a ban has been imposed on operations through the "Mir" payment system.
A popular "loophole" for Russians to obtain cards from Visa and Mastercard, which have left the country, has come under the scrutiny of European Union authorities.
As part of the 19th sanctions package, which the EU approved on Thursday, the Belarusian branch of Alfa-Bank — the largest private bank in Russia — was added to the "black lists."
Belarusian Alfa-Bank is now subject to blocking sanctions that prohibit any transactions with it and imply a complete freeze of assets. Similar measures have been introduced against the Belarusian subsidiaries of Sberbank and VTB, as well as VTB branches in Kazakhstan and China. The sanctions will take effect on December 2.
Cards from Belarusian Alfa-Bank were popular among Russians traveling abroad, as payment systems Visa and Mastercard left Russia in 2022, while the opportunity to obtain them remained in neighboring Belarus.
A bank representative told Reuters that its lawyers are already looking into the situation, but all bank cards are still operating as usual. The bank promised to inform clients in case the situation changes.
Additionally, under the 19th package, the EU banned transactions with Alfa-Bank, MTS Bank, Absolute Bank, and the Russian stablecoin A7A5. Furthermore, a ban has been imposed on operations through the "Mir" payment system of the National Payment Card System (NSPK) and the Fast Payment System.
The EU sanctions list mentions several banks from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as Belarusian BelVEB and Belgazprombank. The sanctions also target "Polyus," the largest Russian automaker "AvtoVAZ," the steel holding "Evraz," and the transport holding Fesco.
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