MOSCOW 

Russia hopes to see Visa and Mastercard return to the country, the country’s news agency TASS reported on Monday.

Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the Financial Markets of the State Duma, said that Visa and Mastercard “lost a large market” by leaving Russia.

Aksakov stated that it will be difficult to get used to the Western credit card firms after having used the country’s own National Payment Card System (NSPK).

Visa and Mastercard pulled out of Russia after the war in Ukraine intensified. As an alternative, Mir cards, operating via the NSPK, became widespread in the country.