Friday 27 May 2022

#Russia Faces Biggest Debt Test Yet as US Payment Ban Clouds Path - Bloomberg

Russia Faces Biggest Debt Test Yet as US Payment Ban Clouds Path - Bloomberg


Russia’s ability to sidestep its first foreign default in a century is turning more fraught as another payment comes due on the warring nation’s debt.

Investors are supposed to receive about $100 million of interest on Russian foreign debt in their accounts by Friday, payments President Vladimir Putin’s government says it has already made. That’s unlikely to satisfy concerned bondholders who are keen to see the cash after the US Treasury closed a loophole that previously allowed American banks and individuals to accept such payments.

It’s the latest twist in a debt saga that has dragged on for months as the war in Ukraine and sanctions complicate the flow of cash from Russia to creditors. If Russia’s obligations aren’t fulfilled, a 30-day grace period ensues.

“We are in uncharted waters,” said Ehsan Khoman, head of emerging market research at MUFG Bank Ltd. in Dubai. “All eyes are now on May 27.”

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