Visa Inc.

BELGRADE - The European Union has toughened its visa regime for Ukrainians as verification of applicants' documents in consulates has become more rigorous and the number of refusals for multiple visa claims has rapidly increased, Kiev-based newspaper Vesti wrote.

Turkey is introducing a new electronic card payment clearing system called TROY, the InterBank Card Center (BKM) announced on April 28.        

"We are ready. Since April 1, TROY has been available at all swiping machines and ATMs," Soner Canko, chairman of the card center, told a press conference.        

Turkey has launched a new electronic card payment clearing system, the InterBank Card Center (BKM) has announced Sept. 30.  

The system, named "TROY," will be operational from April 1, 2016, the Center said.

"It is time that Turkey used its [own] payment system," Soner Canko, chairman of the Istanbul-based BKM, said on Sept. 30.

Starting 8 a.m. on June 1, 2015, toll fees and vignette stickers for trucks at Bulgaria's Kapitan Andreevo border crossing point will only be paid at a "points of sale" (POS).

Novinite is publishing a statement by Georgia's Foreign Minister H.E. Tamar Beruchashvili ahead of the Riga Eastern Partnership Summit due on May 21-22, 2015.

The card payments of Bulgarians abroad around the Orthodox Easter, which was celebrated between April 9 and 13, recorded a 21 % increase compared to the same holiday period last year.

This was announced by the representation of Visa Europe in Bulgaria, daily Dnevnik reports.

Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Wednesday, in the context of the relaxation of the visa regime for Canada starting 2016 said that he is positive that progress will be made, too, concerning the visa regime with the United States of America, after the U.S. elections next year.

Photo credit: (c) Liviu SOVA / AGERPRES PHOTO

International payments systems Visa and Mastercard are to continue operating in Russia following a new agreement with Moscow, media reports suggest.

Russia's daily Kommersant argues that most arrangements were made around the International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg.

Visa and MasterCard will continue operating in Russia, the companies’ representatives told journalists at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2014 on Friday. 

“We are ready to work in Russia,” said CEO for Visa Russia Andrew Torre and MasterCard Russia Director General Ilya Ryabiy, quoted by ITAR-TASS.

Russian lawmakers have adopted regulations which oblige US-based credit card companies Visa and Mastercard to pay billions of USD if they wish to operate in Russia.Under the new legislation, a Russian-based system will also take charge of cashless transactions from this year.