The Central Bank of the Russian Federation allowed non-resident banks from unfriendly states to conclude purchase and sale transactions of one foreign currency in exchange for another, as well as the corresponding deliverable currency forwards and swap agreements on the Russian foreign exchange market, the regulator said in a statement .

At the same time, the prices in these agreements should not deviate by more than 2% from the prices for similar instruments in Russian exchange trading and in international markets at the time of conclusion. „The new decision will help Russian banks to better meet the demand of companies and citizens for a specific foreign currency,” the Central Bank said.

Until now, for all non-residents from unfriendly countries, there was a ban on the purchase and sale of foreign currency both for rubles and for other foreign currencies. For ruble transactions, as well as for non-residents who are not banks, it remains, the Central Bank notes.

In addition, the Bank of Russia has canceled the 30% limit on advance payments to non-residents under import contracts for services, works, results of intellectual activity, which has been in effect since April this year. This decision, as noted by the Central Bank, is aimed at supporting foreign economic activity, creating conditions for building new logistics chains for import supplies.