'Plastic' steps through borders

By Valery Gavrilov

BELCARD-Maestro cards are the result of a joint project between MasterCard and BELCARD, explains Tatiana Mikhailovskaya, the Deputy Chair of the Board of ASB Belarusbank JSC. She tells us, "When travelling abroad, you can use the card to pay in hotels and shops, and can withdraw cash through ATMs."

Another advantage is that the cards are equipped not only with a magnetic strip, but a chip. "BELCARD-Maestro co-badged card is the first product with a micro-processor in the BELCARD payment system," notes Yelena Odinochenko, the Deputy Director General of the Bank Processing Centre JSC. “The use of international standard microprocessor technologies provides a high degree of safety — for the client and for the bank."

Belarusbank is the first bank to issue BELCARD-Maestro cards but other domestic banks are likely to soon follow. Three of the largest Belarusian financial establishments are already making plans.

The Director of the BELCARD Payment System JSC, Alexander Sotnikov, comments, "This project shows potential for development, so we see a good future for BELCARD-MasterCard within Belarus; such cards will become an integral part of our economic payment system."