Banks in Turkey began to make additional demands on Russians when issuing cards. This is reported by the Russian “RBK”.
One Russian man who faced the problem said that he went through 15 branches of different banks before opening an account in one of them. Banks demanded permission to work in Turkey and stated that they do not work with foreigners.
Also, banks began to ask Russians for a security deposit of $5,000 and about $100 non-refundable commission.
The information was confirmed by several intermediaries between banks and clients who help Russians open cards for $150-200.
“After the announcement of partial mobilization in Russia, the number of Russians coming to Turkey and trying to open a card increased many times. Not all bank employees want to serve Russians,” said an unnamed bank intermediary. According to him, due to the language barrier, Russians who open an account without an intermediary spend three to four hours on registration.
The day before, the largest bank in Spain, Santander, announced the suspension of services for cards of the Chinese payment system Union Pay, issued by Russian banks. The bank took this step “as part of Santander’s general sanctions policy in relation to Russia.”
