Russia, India explore Mir card rollout to boost tourism, payments

Russia and India plan to discuss launching Russian Mir payment cards in India during high-level talks scheduled for December, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said.

During an interview with Izvestia, Rudenko said the move “would certainly encourage more Russian tourists to visit India, help them navigate the country, and access services provided by our Indian friends,” adding, “We hope this (mutual recognition of Mir and RuPay systems) and other issues will be resolved,” Caliber.Az reports.

The diplomat confirmed the topic is “among the regular items on our negotiation agenda.”

Earlier, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the Russian leader’s upcoming visit to India as highly significant and expressed hope it would be fruitful in every sense, noting that dates are tentatively set for early December and will be officially announced with Indian partners.

In this case, businesses will be able to switch to direct settlements in rubles and rupees without intermediaries, and commissions, analysts estimate, could drop by 20–30%. Additionally, Russian entrepreneurs will be able to work with Indian clients using popular tools—from QR payments to e-wallets. Considering India’s population of over 1.4 billion people, this opens up huge opportunities for online trade.

Tourists, in turn, will be able to pay with the “Mir” card for goods in Indian stores and with the RuPay card in Russian stores, make instant transfers via QR code or phone.

Currently, Russians already have the option for cashless payments for goods and services in India, but it is somewhat more complicated than simply tapping a card on a terminal. This requires downloading the Cheq mobile app and registering with passport details and a valid Indian visa. After that, the user gains access to an e-wallet, which must be activated.

Trade and economic cooperation between Russia and India is actively developing in many areas. In particular, settlements in national currencies are carried out steadily—at present, their share in total payments has reached 90%. However, limitations still remain.

Recently, US pressure has strongly influenced India’s purchases of Russian energy resources. However, Donald Trump’s threats to impose higher tariffs did not work, despite five rounds of negotiations. In the end, in late August, Washington raised tariffs for New Delhi to 50%.

Moreover, the US urged the EU to block imports of oil products from India and Türkiye made from Russian raw materials, aiming for a complete EU withdrawal from Russian energy.

Indian officials, however, assured that they would continue purchasing Russian oil.

By Jeyhun Aghazada