Russians Adapt to Life Without SWIFT Using New Payment Tools

A Mir digital payment system advertisement.Photographer: Emin Dzhafarov/Sipa/AP Photo

To transfer money out of Russia, Natalia, a consultant with a business in Germany, takes a roundabout route.

She first sends rubles from the sanctioned T-Bank in Russia to Armenia, for which she only needs a phone number on the receiving side. The transaction only takes minutes, and then she is able to wire the funds in euros to a European bank account.