Belarusian Banks Start Having Problems with Payments Via SWIFT
- 12.08.2021, 18:32
Clients of eight Belarusian banks are massively complaining about the problems.
Large Belarusian banks have encountered problems when making cross-border payments through the international SWIFT system.
Clients of BSB Bank, Dabrabyt, BPS-Sberbank, BelVEB, Belarusbank, Belagroprombank, Priorbank, and Alfa-Bank complain about the problems en masse. Many of them have stopped receiving money from abroad.
According to Office Life, transfers "get stuck" for both individuals and legal entities, and money is lost not only from the EU but also from third countries.
“If a partner, who is not in the EU, transfers the amounts in euros, often the transactions are not allowed by correspondent banks in the European Union,” a representative of one of the Belarusian companies explained to the newspaper.
The press service of Alfa-Bank in Belarus explained that "difficulties arise" with transfers via SWIFT.
This is because the intermediary banks abroad, through which the transfer is made, have not yet developed internal rules for working with transfers to/from Belarus in the light of the recently introduced sanctions, the bank suggested.
“As soon as the partner banks work out the rules of interaction, the problem will be solved. Although, this may take several months,” the press service added.
The Belarusian National Bank declined to comment on the situation, as did most of the credit institutions faced with problems. “Contact commercial banks,” said Office Life in the press service of the Central Bank of Belarus.
Let us remind you that, on June 24, the European Union announced the imposition of economic sanctions against the Lukashenka regime for "serious violations of human rights," "brutal suppression of civil society," and forcing a Ryanair flight to land in Minsk, which the West considered as air piracy.
All Belarusian banks with a state share of more than 50%, as well as separately subsidiaries of Belarusbank, Belinvestbank, and Belagroprombank, fell under the sanctions prohibiting the provision of financing for a period of more than 90 days.