Regulatory Updates Impacting Foreign Payment Services

Since 2022, Russian financial regulators have introduced tighter controls on foreign payment processors, requiring local licensing for any service handling RUB. This has led to the suspension of some Western platforms while encouraging the growth of domestic alternatives like Mir Pay and QR‑code wallets. Foreign businesses operating in Russia must ensure their payment gateway holds a Russian Central Bank license to avoid service interruptions. Ongoing sanctions may further affect the availability of SWIFT for certain countries.