The Discover card network said Tuesday (March 8) it has no active partners in Russia and Belarus, and that its Discover, Diners Club, Network Alliance Partners and PULSE cards are not being accepted there.
“Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Discover/Diners Club International was in the process of establishing a Russian branch office and registering it with the Central Bank of Russia as a foreign payment system operator,” the company said in a news release. “We have suspended all actions to pursue the registration in Russia at this time.”
In addition to suspending all transactions sanctioned by Russian banks on its network, Discover said it is suspending acceptance of cards issued by all Russian and Belarusian banks that run on the Discover Global Network, including its partner networks.
Read more: EU to Take Further Steps Against Russian Leaders, Belarus Banks
Also on Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced the United States would stop importing Russian oil and other energy, and the European Union prepared to issue more sanctions against Russia, this time targeting more than 100 members of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Federal Assembly.
Read more: Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, Amex Suspend Russian Operations
With this announcement, Discover joins rivals Visa, Mastercard and American Express, who have all said they would cease operations in Russia in response to that country’s invasion of Ukraine late last month.
Mastercard and Visa announced their exit from Russia over the war in Ukraine on Saturday, followed by American Express on Sunday.
“With this action, cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by the Mastercard network. And, any Mastercard issued outside of the country will not work at Russian merchants or ATMs,” Mastercard said.
PayPal also suspended its service in Russia over the weekend, according to a letter to the Ukrainian government from chief executive Dan Schulman.
While the payment processor had already ceased domestic services in Russia in 2020, this latest move relates to its remaining cross-border payments business in the country.
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