MasterCard, Visa resume services for Russia's SMP Bank clients despite US sanctions

``The MasterCard and Visa electronic payment networks have reversed their decision to cut off online services for payment transactions for the clients of the SMP bank controlled by brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, who have both been listed among the Russian officials subject to US sanctions over Crimea. '' -- A reliable source provides some backdrop on this news, saying that this happened ``only after London lawyers made it clear that there would be a multi billion injunction filed against MasterCard and Visa...it would have brought the global credit / debit card system to its knees within 72 hours.''