Russian investors should consider transferring funds back to the Russian Federation to avoid tightening sanctions pressure. The risk of account blocks extends even to so‑called friendly jurisdictions, including the United Arab Emirates, especially when obtaining EU residence or citizenship remains out of reach. This view comes from Vasily Belokryletsky, co‑founder of the investment and analytics firm Abeta Capital, as reported by Lenta.ru.
Belokryletsky notes that the current path for many Russian citizens is to pursue EU citizenship or a residence permit, but the process is growing more challenging by the day. If such options cannot be realized, he suggests reassessing foreign holdings and transferring liquidity back to Russia to avoid an extended freeze. The rationale is practical: sanctions regimes are increasingly designed to curb access to funds through intermediate jurisdictions, and governments may expand secondary sanctions beyond the traditional targets.
In another development, Forbes reported that Emirates NBD, a leading UAE bank, announced a policy change affecting Russian clients. Beginning soon, certain assets held by Russian customers would be moved into separate accounts, with all payments directed away from these assets. This measure, aimed at isolating Russian holdings, signals heightened vigilance by financial institutions in the region and reflects broader trends in international banking where compliance with Western sanctions regimes takes priority over convenient cross‑border transactions.