The cryptocurrency exchange Binance has, without prior notice, restored support for transactions with cards issued by Russian banks, including Visa and Mastercard.
Owners of Russian cards can top up accounts in rubles, Turkish lira, British pounds, euros, Kazakh tenge, Australian dollars, Ukrainian hryvnias, Czech korunas and other currencies. Deposits in US dollars, however, are not available.
According to «Код Дурова», top-ups are implemented through the Qiwi payment gateway. The publication reports that withdrawals are subject to a limit of 4,300 to 200,000 rubles.
In a conversation with ForkLog, a Qiwi representative stressed that the group of companies “does not have contracts of cooperation with the Binance platform, including in the area of providing a payment gateway.”
“Among the official suppliers of goods, works, and services for which payments can be made using the QIWI Wallet, Binance is not included. Like Visa, Mastercard and MIR cards, one of the most popular QIWI services – the Wallet – is used by private individuals as a payment instrument on their own (or at their discretion),” the company noted.
In Binance’s support service, an authorised user confirmed that card transactions issued by Russian banks are back accessible.
At the same time, an unauthorised user of the web platform, allegedly located outside Russia, was told that deposits using Russian-issued cards are not supported.
The fiat deposits page of the web interface also lists top-ups in rubles exclusively through Advcash and Payeer.
In addition, the support service said that, under the European Union’s tenth sanctions package, Binance is prohibited from providing services in the EU and EEA to legal entities registered in Russia, as well as to Russian citizens residing in the Russian Federation, with the exception of persons who are citizens or residents of the EEA or Switzerland.
ForkLog contacted Binance with a relevant request but did not receive an immediate response. We will update the article if the company provides comments.
Binance blocked transactions with Mastercard and Visa cards issued in Russia after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The restrictions applied solely to the exchange’s crypto-fiat service.
In April 2023, information appeared in the media about lifting the €10 000 deposit limit for the accounts of Russian users of the platform.