"We are holding talks with Visa. World payment systems already view us as an interesting partner, as the NSPK has been able to ensure an extensive network for the functioning of the national card in the short period of one year…Now, three major west European processors, from France and Germany for example, are interested in collaborating with the NSPK, they approached us themselves. European retailers want to motivate Russians via a Russian payment system," Komlev said in an interview with the Russian Izvestia newspaper, published on Tuesday.
The international acceptance of Mir is a key indicator of the system's maturity, he added, noting that agreements have been signed with MasterCard, JCB, AmEX and Union Pay payment systems.
"We are not just connecting to retail outlets, but also to so-called aggregators, gateways which are connected to tens of thousands of retailers each," Komlev stressed.
Mir will also soon expend into online payments, with work to integrate it with Ali Pay nearing completion, according to the NSPK head.
