APEXX is connected to the three largest banks in Russia - Sberbank, VTB, and Alpha Bank - making it possible to route all transactions back to the issuing bank, guaranteeing On-Us processing of 80% of all transactions. With On-Us processing, businesses typically see a 5-10% increase in local transaction approval ratios, and a 25-30% increase in cross-border transaction approval ratios.

Implemented to mitigate against political risk between Russia and the US, the Mir payment scheme was mandated for issuers by the Central Bank of Russia. It is fast becoming one of the biggest card schemes in Russia, with over 37 million Mir cards issued to date. With potential US sanctions looming, Russia could turn off Visa and MasterCard transactions and run payments solely through the Mir payment system. Western brands operating in Russia need to make sure they are ready for any possible future action.

Peter Keenan, CEO of APEXX, says: “There is a huge appetite for international brands in Russia and e-commerce growth is higher there than across the rest of Europe. Being able to offer our solution in Russia is a huge milestone for APEXX and our customers. Our ability to process Mir payments means we are not only future-proofing our Russian offering but also helping businesses ensure they have the ability to process payments domestically in the face of any possible sanctions.”

The APEXX solution in Russia requires no Russian legal entity making it available worldwide. With payment data stored in Russia, APEXX saves businesses the risk of having to manage the Russian data storage laws. Other benefits include significant tax rebates for businesses being settled offshore and the lowest FX mark-up with settlement available in EUR/GBP/USD or RUB.

APEXX consolidates global payment providers into a single integration point, optimising the cost of complex payment ecosystems. Since its launch in 2017, the platform has already saved merchants upwards of 15% on the cost of processing card payments and alternative payments.