Moscow installs first ATM in Nicaragua to evade sanctions

(ANSA) – MANAGUA, 09 OCT – The Russian government has installed the first ATM for Mir cards in the capital of Nicaragua, Managua. Piotr Pankratov, the commercial representative of the Russian embassy in the Central American country, announced this in an interview on Canal 8 television. The ATM was installed in the Credicoop savings and credit cooperative, at kilometer 5.5 of the Managua-Masaya highway and operates 24 hours a day. Russia and Nicaragua are trying to use the Mir payment system, an alternative to Swift, to evade international sanctions. Four months ago the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum placed Mir cards at the center of the discussion, the alternative Russian payment system which aims to reduce dependence on the dollar and strengthen economic cooperation between countries subjected to Western sanctions. System already active in Venezuela for a few months and in various Cuban banks since March last year. (HANDLE).