The Russian payments company QIWI has agreed to offer prepaid vouchers from Ukash at its network of 100,000 kiosks throughout the country.
Ukash offers vouchers that can be used online. The U.K. company announced the deal Monday.
QIWI owns and manages a network of terminals that accept cash payments for mobile phone top-ups, bill payments, bus and rail tickets, and entertainment. Ukash's partnership with QIWI brings to eight the number of agreements Ukash has signed with payments companies in Russia, said Paul Coxhill, Ukash's marketing director.
QIWI also has operations in Ukraine, Georgia and Kazakhstan, though it is offering the Ukash service only in Russia, said Libby Andrews, a Ukash spokeswoman.
QIWI will enable consumers to buy Ukash vouchers using cash at any of its kiosks. The vouchers contain 19-digit codes that users type into merchants' Web sites to purchase products or services.
"Ukash is popular with people who don't have bank accounts or credit card accounts," Andrews said.
Residents of Russia will purchase the vouchers in rubles, and QIWI will convert the purchase amount to euros; the minimum purchase is 10 euros and the maximum is 500 euros, Andrews said. She would not disclose the fees for using the service.
Smart Voucher Ltd. and Blue Label Telecoms Ltd., a payments company in South Africa, own Ukash. The vouchers can be purchased at 420,000 locations in 30 countries or online. Ukash is Smart Voucher's brand name, Coxhill said. QIWI is the brand name of OE Investments.
Ukash vouchers are not available in the U.S.
