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Text: Fede Gayardo
The governments of Cuba and Russia signed the opening of a branch of the Novikombank bank, belonging to the Russian conglomerate Rostec, to reinforce “their secure financial exchange.”
The state agency Prensa Latina (PL) reported that the opening of this direct representation in Cuba, “in the conditions of the North American siege constitutes an event of great significance in the development of relations between both countries.”
According to statements offered to this medium by the head of the Russian commercial office in Havana, Sergei Baldin, the opening of Novikombank will contribute to developing an independent financial infrastructure.
Furthermore, he considered that the presence of the Russian bank gives hope for the fulfillment of development projects and investments in various spheres in the future and “offers confidence to the Russian business community to operate in Cuba.”
Representatives of the Russian banking entity were present during the inauguration, highlighting the more than 30 years of support for Russian industry in areas such as machinery and aircraft construction, energy, metallurgy, car and ship manufacturing, among others. .
The direct representation of Novikombank, which has been working directly with three main financial entities on the island for eight years, puts an end to the start of operations of Russian MIR cards in the country at the end of December 2023.
Its employment, according to the Cuban government, has contributed to the increase in Russian tourism, the third in terms of arrivals to the island, due to the facilities it provides in payments for services and products.
Since 2022, the Cuban authorities had announced the beginning of these operations, but it was postponed until a year later. Once their use was launched on the island, the government clarified that their use was not for Cuban citizens.
