Disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT interbank payment system would be a serious and unfriendly measure, said VTB head Andrei Kostin. At the same time, he noted that he does not expect it to come to this, and the bank itself will survive in the event of a shutdown.
“Of course, we will survive, of course, but I still don’t think it will come to that. It would be a very serious measure, unfriendly – that’s not enough to say, “said Mr. Kostin on the air of the Russia-1 channel.
Earlier, Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported that the United States and the EU are discussing disconnecting Russia from SWIFT as one of the options for sanctions in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that this option “causes the most debate.” A Bloomberg source noted that disconnecting the Russian Federation from SWIFT is considered problematic, since it will affect energy and other exports from Russia.
Note that Russia has its own Financial Messaging System (SPFS). In December, Denis Baryshkov, head of the department for the national payment system of the Central Bank, said that all banks in Belarus had also connected to the SPFS.
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