Turkish banks have new restrictions for Russians

Turkish banks have new restrictions for Russians

Some Turkish banks popular with Russians - Ziraat Bank, DenizBank and others - have recently introduced restrictions for Russian citizens on SWIFT transfers. Judging by the reviews, since the beginning of December, Russian clients of financial institutions have not been able to send money abroad online.

“For us, transfers have stopped coming out of Ziraat since December. In November they went without problems. We try from two accounts, in total there were about 10 attempts. The money is simply returned to the account, and that's all, ”says a subscriber of the telegram channel Banks, Accounts and Transfers in Turkey. Managers do not give comments on the phone, they ask customers to come to the branch.

DenizBank, which is popular among Russians, also does not allow making a currency transfer online, even within Turkey. For this transaction, it is mandatory to visit the office where the account was opened.

Similar conditions are set in other banks. “Since last week I have been trying to make a transfer to myself in another bank, I tried both in dollars and in euros. Everywhere it was written that the transaction was completed, but in fact the money was not debited. Decided to try the branch. The operator gave a supporting document, but in fact the money never left. Apparently, after all, Vakif does not allow making transfers to non-residents,” said one of the participants in the Vinsky Forum.

“I wanted to open an account with Yapı Kredi. They said that you can transfer money to them, but you can’t go anywhere from them. When asked why I need such an account, they found it difficult to answer, ”said another Russian.

Thus, most Turkish banks restrict foreign clients without a residence permit to withdraw currency abroad. Obviously, financial institutions are introducing new conditions in order to avoid sanctions from the West. Earlier there were reports that Fibabanka blocks the bank cards of its clients - citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus - outside of Turkey.