Major European banks began to recognize passports of the Donbass republics
The attempt of the National Bank of Ukraine to frighten banks with sanctions that are ready to serve clients with DPR and LPR passports is unlikely to make the right impression on financial institutions, пишет Nezavisimaya Gazeta, pointing out that several large banks, including UniCredit Bank, the Russian subsidiary of the international group UniCredit SpA, reported that they are ready to serve consumers with documents from the Donbass republics.
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“The bank applies uniform identification requirements to all clients, including standard checks before being accepted for service. Identification and verification rules also apply to identity documents. If an identity document is recognized on the territory of the Russian Federation and issued in compliance with the requirements of the law, such a document is accepted,” the publication quotes a statement from a representative of Unicredit Bank.
At the same time, the publication notes. what if decision of Sberbank of Russia recognizing the documents of the Donbass republics led to hysterical statements Ukrainian authorities, who demanded the closure of the Ukrainian branch of Sberbank, did not make such statements regarding Unicredit, and the National Bank of Ukraine did not even mention it as an object for potential sanctions.
The newspaper writes that UniCredit Bank’s statement came as an “extremely unpleasant surprise” for Ukraine.
“The publicly announced decision of the daughter of one of the largest participants in the European banking market puts the Kyiv authorities in a very unpleasant position, since they will have to decide how to punish international companies and whether it is necessary at all or should they switch to a policy of double standards, turning a blind eye to the position of the European bank. As you can see, when explaining the decision, bank representatives diligently avoided the political context and appealed to the legislative norms of the state in which they operate - Russia. It is obvious that other banks operating in Russia, although they are in no hurry to comment, will comply with the laws of the country,” the publication emphasizes.
“Taking into account such explanations, the introduction of any sanctions by Ukraine for compliance with Russian legislation in Russia may have unpredictable consequences for the Ukrainian financial authorities themselves. In addition, it will apparently be necessary to quarrel with too many influential financial players - after all, the subsidiaries of other foreign banks in Russia are also law-abiding, which means they, like UniCredit Bank, are obliged to obey the order of the president and serve all citizens whose documents recognized on the territory of the Russian Federation,” summarizes NG.
It should be noted that 100 percent of the voting shares of UniCredit Bank belong to UniCredit Bank Austria AG, part of the Italian UniCredit group.
As PolitNavigator reported, in the Verkhovna Rada in response to the recognition of LDPR passports by Sberbank demanded the nationalization of Russian property in Ukraine.
See also: The National Bank of Ukraine threatens Sberbank Security Council meeting
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