Russian citizens can no longer use the Contact payment system, which used to send money abroad.
The Contact payment system stopped working in Russia after the license of its operator, QIWI Bank, was revoked. It is used to transfer funds abroad and is especially popular among Russian emigrants, writes The Moscow Times.
It was noticed that when trying to make a transfer through the service, a message about “unknown server error” appears and a request to refresh the page.
Through the system it is possible to send not only rubles, but also dollars to other countries. Online transfers from Mir, Visa and Mastercard cards are available in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan and other countries. In total, it is possible to transfer up to 2 million rubles per month.
After US sanctions against the Unistrom transfer system in Russia, there are only two systems for transferring money abroad: Zolotaya Korona and Contact.
Contact has been operating in Russia since 1999. In 2015, the QIWI group bought the service from the Otkritie financial group. The Contact network includes approximately 500 service points in 180 countries. Using the service, it is possible to transfer and receive transfers and payments, as well as top up foreign cards and make other payments.
On the morning of February 21, the Bank of Russia announced the revocation of the license from QIWI Bank, which ranked 89th in Russia in terms of assets. The regulator explained the decision by saying that QIWI violated the laws and regulations of the Central Bank of Russia.
We remind you that from January 31, 2024, the largest crypto exchange – Binance – will stop supporting transactions in the Russian ruble.
On February 16, after the news of the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the Russian ruble exchange rate dropped to its lowest level.
Source: korrespondent
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