Gazprombank UnionPay cards no longer usable in Türkiye due to US sanctions

UnionPay cards issued by Gazprombank are no longer functional in Türkiye, following the imposition of new U.S. sanctions on the Russian bank, according to a financial market source speaking to the Russian media outlet Ria Novosti.

US imposes sanctions on Gazprombank

On Nov. 21, the United States introduced sanctions against Gazprombank and six of its foreign subsidiaries.

“Today’s sanctions targeting Russia’s largest remaining non-designated bank, as well as dozens of other financial institutions and officials in Russia, will further diminish and degrade Russia’s war machine. This sweeping action will make it harder for the Kremlin to evade U.S. sanctions and fund and equip its military,” said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen.

“We will continue to take decisive steps against any financial channels Russia uses to support its illegal and unprovoked war in Ukraine.”

Luxembourg-based bank GPB International SA, Hong Kong-based GPB Financial Services Hong Kong Limited, Cyprus-based GPB Financial Services Limited and GPB-DI Holdings Limited, Switzerland-based Gazprombank (Switzerland) Ltd, and South Africa-based GPB Africa and Middle East Pty Ltd are wholly owned subsidiaries of Gazprombank. 

The move, aimed at restricting the bank’s international operations, included a warning for Gazprombank clients regarding potential issues with UnionPay cards abroad. Shortly after, Gazprombank sent out notifications to its clients, informing them that from Nov. 21, their UnionPay cards were deactivated.

UnionPay card usage blocked in Türkiye

A source familiar with the situation confirmed to the Russian media outlet that it is no longer possible to use Gazprombank’s UnionPay cards in Türkiye, stating: “It is already impossible across all of Türkiye. The reasons are known.”

The source indicated that the sanction had effectively disabled card functionality nationwide.

Impact on card payments and ATM withdrawals

RIA Novosti’s correspondent also confirmed the issues firsthand, noting that prior to Tuesday, it was still possible to use Gazprombank UnionPay cards for payments at cafes and stores. However, starting from Tuesday, all attempts to process payments via these cards were met with errors at point-of-sale terminals.

In addition, ATM withdrawals were no longer possible since the previous Saturday.

No official notification from Turkish banks

Representatives from three of Türkiye’s largest private banks—Denizbank, Is Bankasi, and VakifBank—confirmed to the Russian media outlet that they had not received official notifications about the ban on Gazprombank card transactions.

They noted, however, that the issue with ATM withdrawals appeared to be a system-wide problem.

Ankara seeks exemption from sanctions

Türkiye is requesting a waiver from the United States regarding sanctions imposed on Russia’s Gazprombank, which may impact Türkiye’s energy security.

The request, made by Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar comes in response to U.S. sanctions aimed at limiting Russia’s access to the global financial system.

Bayraktar emphasized that Türkiye needs continued access to Russian gas supplies, especially as winter approaches, and pointed to past exemptions granted to Iran as a precedent.