Iran starts accepting payments with Russian Mir cards

Russian tourists can now pay in Iran with Mir cards with contactless payment technology and smartphones. In Tehran, a ceremony was held to finalise the second stage of integration of the Russian and Iranian payment systems Mir and Shetab. This is reported by the press service of the Central Bank of Iran.

Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Asghar Abolhasani Hastiani, said the countries plan to fully complete the integration of the systems in December 2025. IRNA, a partner of TV BRICS, reminds that this process is being realised in three stages. In the last one, citizens of the republic will be able to make purchases in Russian shop terminals through an application on their smartphones.

Governor of Iran Central Bank (CBI) Mohammad Reza Farzin also spoke at the ceremony. He emphasised that Moscow and Tehran are thus seeking to create a secure banking infrastructure, and the connection of Iran's Shetab to Russia's Mir could become a model for BRICS countries' cooperation in this area.

"BRICS states play a key role in global trade, and we are already holding technical consultations on the implementation of this model both with the members of the association and a number of countries in our region," he said.

For her part, Deputy Chairperson of the Central Bank of Russia Zulfiya Kakhrumanova called the integration of payment systems an important step to facilitate access of citizens of both countries to banking services. She expressed hope that this cooperation will become the basis for further development of economic ties between Moscow and Tehran.

The Mir payment system was connected to Iran's Shetab in November 2024. Then Mohammad Reza Farzin said that their integration will remove restrictions for electronic payments and open a new chapter in economic and cultural cooperation between Russia and Iran.

Photo: iStock