On 1 July the national payment system was officially launched in Pridnestrovie. Since this day everyone who wants may have a card which can be used for shopping at all major sales outlets in Pridnestrovie irrespective of their servicing banks.
The honourable right to make the first purchase with a new plastic card was granted to Aleksey Kochetov, head of the national payment system department of the Pridnestrovian Republican Bank. He made a few operations in the national payment system which proved that everything works all right.
Eximbank payment terminals are being installed at sales outlets across Pridnestrovie. «The chief novelty is that any bank's client may use this card at any shop irrespective of the chain it belongs to. Other payment systems are restricted by individual agreements between the bank and the shop. First of all, this problem does not exist here. Secondly, which is most inconvenient for shops, every bank has its own terminal. This terminal belongs to this bank, another terminal to that bank," pointed out Viktor Lungu, director of a shopping chain.
Eximbank promises to install terminals free of charge, thus increasing the number of its clients. All Pridnestrovian banks but one have agreed to join the national payment system. However, all shops and banks across Pridnestrovie will accept common cards. Initially, they were supposed to do so since 1 July right after the system launch, but finally the trade regulations had been altered. According to them, all sales outlets are to accept the common card since 1 January 2016. Meanwhile the system has been launched in Eximbank. The next bank to implement the project is Sberbank.
Besides, Pridnestrovie's national payment system is integrated into the Russian PRO100 payment system. This enables Pridnestrovian cardholders to use them in Russia. Transactions will be available at all terminals supporting the PRO100 system.
The test has showed Pridnestrovie's card handles this task without failing. A PRB employee used Pridnestrovie's NPS card to withdraw money from his account at an ATM belonging to Bank Russia. A cheque for the first international transaction made with a plastic card was issued by the PRB.
