MOSCOW, April 15 Russian banks have noted an increase in demand for Mir cards among foreign tourists this year, credit institutions reported.
«»The number of cards issued from January to March 2024 increased six times compared to November-December 2023. Most cards were issued to foreign tourists in February of this year. This is due to the Chinese New Year — during the holiday period, Chinese residents are more likely to travel,” said Andrey Efimochkin, director of retail products at UMoney. 
According to him, compared to December, the number of such cards issued in February increased fourfold; in March, 25% more cards were issued than in December. And for the entire last quarter, there were 14 times more transactions on these cards than in the fourth quarter of last year. In March, compared to December, the number of operations tripled. In November-December 2023, cash withdrawals accounted for 15% of foreigners' transactions, purchases — 85%, and in January-March 2024 — 11% and 89%, respectively.
«»Citizens of about 50 countries apply for cards. But most of all — 73% of identifications — are citizens of China. Another 6% are citizens of Kazakhstan, 5% are citizens of the UAE, 3% are tourists from Saudi Arabia, 3 % are from India,” added Efimochkin.
Stable demand for issuing cards
Sberbank is recording “stable demand for issuing cards to citizens of foreign countries,” the bank’s press service reported.
«Over the past year, the number of non-residents who issued debit cards at VTB has more than tripled — from 2.3 thousand at the end of March 2023 to 9.9 thousand at the end of March this year,» the press said -VTB service. 
Sovcombank also noted an increase in the issuance of Mir cards to foreigners. “The indicators for issuing cards to non-residents in the first quarter of 2024 are almost 20% higher than the data for the same period last year,” the press service of the credit institution said. At the same time, the share of active users has been stable over the past year and a half. “We don’t predict any changes here,” the press service added.
Tinkoff Bank has observed a significant increase in the issuance of debit cards to Chinese citizens since September. “And since February 2024, we have seen a seasonal increase in the issuance of cards to foreigners from different countries, not only Central Asia, but also Belarus, China, and India,” said a bank representative.