YEREVAN, MAY 10. /ARCH/. The Armenian Card (ArCa) payment system and h the Russian National System of Payment Cards (NSPC), which is the operator of the Mir payment card are preparing to issue joint cards in Armenia, RNS reported citing the Central Bank of Armenia.

A Central Bank official was quoted as saying that the joint project suggests the mutual acceptance of cards of the national payment systems - ArCa cards in Russia and Mir cards in Armenia. As part of the project the payment systems plan to issue joint ArCa-Mir cards.

According to the representative, all 15 banks which are members of the ArCa system have the technical possibility of issuing joint cards.

Two banks will issue joint cards as part of a pilot project according to their business plans. Currently, 17 banks operate in Armenia.

In early March, the deputy chairman of the Bank of Russia, Olga Skorobogatova, told in an interview with RNS that the acceptance of Mir cards in Armenia will be possible before the end of 2017. -0-