The UK has included Ozon Bank in a new sanctions list against Russia. The reason given was its operation in the financial sector, which British authorities consider strategically important for the Russian state.
The bank stated that clients would not notice any restrictions. Cards will continue to work, savings accounts and deposits will be opened, and entrepreneurs will be able to use accounts, loans, and other products as usual.
Ozon Bank explained this by the absence of foreign assets and operations outside Russia. The organization does not use SWIFT and serves clients only through the Russian financial infrastructure.
The new restrictions also affected Eximbank of Russia, "Center-invest", "Realist Bank", "Bank Stavr", and "TelePort Bank", several industrial companies, a shipping organization from India, one LNG tanker, and five oil vessels. In total, the list was expanded by 13 entries.
For Ozon Bank, these are not the first foreign restrictions: on July 24, it was added to the EU sanctions list. Russian authorities consider Western sanctions illegal and state that the banking system continues to operate stably.