Global bond markets froze trade in Russian securities in June after the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control banned Americans from buying Russian debt on secondary markets. The agency opened a three-month window on July 22 to allow clients to cut back on Russian holdings.
European regulators have followed suit, the FT daily said. UBS, Barclays and Deutsche Bank have allowed clients to sell Russian bonds following a similar move from JPMorgan, Bank of America, Jefferies and Citigroup. Credit Suisse and HSBC are reportedly bidding their time.
Nearly $40 billion worth of Russian sovereign debt was on the market when Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, with about a half owned by foreigners, according to the FT. The daily cited a bank employee as saying that trading was resumed to allow clients to "unwind."