Marcus Ashworth, Columnist

Russian Sanctions Are Maybe a Problem for You

Bans on securities trading seem to leave anyone in finance vulnerable to falling foul of the U.S.

April 11, 2018 at 9:25 AM UTC

Marcus Ashworth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European markets. Previously, he was chief markets strategist for Haitong Securities in London.

Russia\'s Oligarchs Brace for U.S. Report Listing Putin Friends — Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

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American sanctions against Russia introduced on Friday include a twist. They contain not only a list of individuals and companies connected to the regime of Vladimir Putin, but also restrictions on trading in securities connected to either. The U.S. government says it will levy sanctions on anyone for "knowingly facilitating significant transactions for or on behalf of" people or organizations that are targeted by the latest penalties.

This creates a global problem that the Russian government may not be able to stop landing on the doorstep of its companies.