Payment methods in Belarus
Visa and Mastercard have imposed progressive restrictions on sanctioned Belarusian banks since 2022; most Belarusian-issued cards no longer work internationally
Market takeaways
- Visa and Mastercard have imposed progressive restrictions on sanctioned Belarusian banks since 2022; most Belarusian-issued cards no longer work internationally
- Belkart, the national card system, held 56.1% of non-cash turnover in 2023 with 5.3 million cards in circulation
- ERIP (Electronic Unified Settlement and Information System) is the primary bill-pay and retail payment platform domestically
- Belarus is not connected to SEPA and is largely cut off from Western payment rails
- E-commerce revenue is projected at ~$1.54 billion in 2025 but growth is constrained by sanctions and economic isolation
Population
9.4M
Online population
~7.5M (~80%)
B2C e-commerce
~$1.5B (2025 est.)
Banked population
~80%
Credit card population
~60%
E-commerce of total retail
~12%
Payment method breakdown
- Card (Belkart/domestic)55%
- Cash25%
- Bank Transfer / ERIP15%
- E-Wallet4%
- Other1%
Card scheme breakdown
- Belkart55%
- Visa25%
- Mastercard15%
- UnionPay4%
- Other1%
Cross-border e-commerce
Market data coming soon.
Featured payment methods in Belarus
Popular options based on coverage and prominence in this market.
Bank Transfer (Internet & Mobile Banking)
Generic online and mobile bank-transfer methods (internet banking, e-banking, EFT and interbank transfers). Customers pay directly from their bank account via their bank's own online/mobile banking portal. Implementation and rails differ by country, but the consumer flow is a standard account-to-account bank transfer.
UnionPay
The dominant card scheme in Macau due to the large volume of mainland Chinese visitors and gamblers. UnionPay cards are accepted at casinos, hotels, and most merchants. As of November 2024, foreign-issued UnionPay cards can link directly with Alipay and WeChat Pay for added convenience.
ERIP (ЕРИП)
The Electronic Unified Settlement and Information System is Belarus's primary platform for paying utilities, government fees, fines, and retail bills. Accessible via ATMs, internet banking, mobile apps, and payment kiosks. Practically universal for domestic bill payments.
MIR
Russia's national card payment system established by the Central Bank of Russia and operated by NSPK (National System of Payment Cards). By end-2024, over 400 million MIR cards had been issued, accounting for 66.7% of all domestic transactions. The US Treasury sanctioned NSPK in February 2024, which does not affect domestic usage but creates problems with MIR acceptance abroad.
Visa
Visa is the world's largest card network, enabling credit, debit and prepaid card payments online, in-store and at ATMs across virtually every market. In the listed countries Visa is a core internationally accepted scheme alongside local methods.
Mastercard
Mastercard is a leading global card network supporting credit, debit and prepaid card payments online, in-store and at ATMs worldwide. In the listed countries it is a core internationally accepted scheme.
All payment methods in Belarus
Discover 9 payment methods from around the world
Featured banks in Belarus
Major institutions operating in this market.
Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI)
Vienna, Austria
Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) is Austria's second-largest bank and a leading retail and corporate bank in Central and Eastern Europe, operating in 13 markets.
Belarusbank
Minsk, Belarus
Belarusbank is Belarus' largest state-owned bank, serving as the principal savings bank and a major retail and SME lender.
Other Banks — Belarus
Minsk, Belarus
Aggregate of all remaining banks in Belarus, collectively ~65.0% of domestic banking assets.
All banks in Belarus
Showing 3 of 3 banks
