Gazprombank's UnionPay cards were halted in Uzbekistan

Banks in Uzbekistan and several other countries have stopped servicing UnionPay payment cards issued by Russia's Gazprombank, according to reports from TASS.

This suspension impacts banks in numerous countries, including Turkey, the UAE, Hungary, Thailand, India, Kazakhstan, South Korea, and others.

"Specific banks, like OTP in Hungary, have ceased accepting these cards, with ATM users receiving notifications about non-acceptance," reports indicate.

While the exact reasons for this decision remain unclear, it is speculated that international financial restrictions and sanctions may be a contributing factor.

Earlier this year, similar actions were seen in Kyrgyzstan, where the Elkhart national payment system ceased servicing Russia’s Mir cards to avoid secondary sanctions from the United States. This highlights growing challenges for Russian financial institutions navigating global sanctions and restrictions.