[2015-12-20] Russia’s Mir Card Takes Competition To Visa, MasterCard and Bitcoin

[jdebunt]

The central bank of Russia has proven to be quite an interesting creature over the years. Despite not being in favor of new technologies or alternative payment methods, they have now decided to launch a new national payments card. Doing so would bring the competition directly to Visa and MasterCard, and so farm thirty-five Russian banks have agreed to participate in the project.

http://bitcoinist.net/russias-mir-card-takes-competition-to-visa-mastercard-and-bitcoin/

[Slark]

And this news shows that Russians are afraid of everything they cannot control. That is why Russia is not a big fan of Bitcoin either, it doesn't matter if bitcoin is controlled not by one country or power but by whole internet instead. Russians can't accept it. Another reason they started to test block chain technology. Russian banks are looking for ways to use this power for their own infrastructure. Not good news for BTC.