Interactive Brokers stops accepting deposits in rubles - RBC

The American broker Interactive Brokers (IB), popular with Russians, will stop accepting deposits in Russian rubles from July 31, writes RBC. There is no talk of a complete cessation of work with the Russians yet.

RBC refers to messages to several clients, as well as information from the broker's Russian support. The company informed one of the clients that it was impossible to convert rubles into dollars, open or increase ruble positions right now.

IB used to accept ruble transfers to accounts, but only from those Russian banks that were not subject to sanctions.

Alina Ananyeva, an independent account administrator at IB, told RBC that IB can forcibly convert rubles that will remain on customer accounts after July 31. According to her, the fact is that clients used the broker as an exchanger: transfers in rubles to IB were free, a commission was charged for the currency. “Too many brought in rubles, converted them, and immediately withdrew them. There were strict restrictions on the amount of withdrawal from the Russian Federation in dollars, but there were none in rubles, ”Ananyeva explained.

Warnings about a possible blocking of access to accounts of IB clients from Russia and transactions, including "deposit and withdrawal of funds", appeared at the end of February. Then, not only Sberbank and Alfa-Bank, which fell under tough Western sanctions, but also Tinkoff, which did not fall under them, did not carry out ruble transfers.

IB is one of the most popular foreign brokers among Russians: the number of its Russian-speaking clients was estimated at 10-20 thousand. About how and in what way foreign brokers limit Russian clients, The Bell wrote here .