Azerbaijan, Baku, August 6 / Trend N. Ismayilova /
Baku branch of Bank Melli Iran started operations on local plastic cards in euros, deputy director of the branch Anar Ibrahimov said.
"The bank previously supported operations on plastic cards in manat and dollars. This month it has already started to conduct operations in the euro", Ibrahimov said.
He said that the bank does not intend to increase the amount of emission of plastic cards sharply. It issued more than 100 local cards since autumn 2009.
The bank extends the issue of cards in three phases, the first phase - providing bank employees with cards, the second one - Iranian state offices and institutions in Azerbaijan, and the third one - commercial cards and all concerned people.
Bank Melli Iran has also begun to install its ATMs and POS-terminals in Azerbaijan. Today, the city already has four ATMs.
The bank is a branch of Bank Melli Iran. Its activity is limited. Therefore, Bank Melli Iran will not be able to provide customers with plastic cards that support the international payment systems MasterCard and Visa [in connection with the U.S. government's sanctions against Iran].
Bank Melli İran is one of the first in the Islamic world. It has branches not only in Iran but also in different countries. Bank Melli İran owns 30 percent of banking assets in Iran.
Baku branch of Bank Melli Iran has been operating since 1993. Bank Melli Iran operates for 85 years. The number of its employees reaches 50,000.