“In Europe, ordinary Russians are shunned by wary banks”

…Sarantseva is one of thousands of Russians living in the European Union who have struggled to open a bank account or had one closed since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine - even though they are not subject to any sanctions themselves…

Sarantseva … was told by online bank Moey! that only Portuguese citizens could open an account. Rival N26 wrote she could not have a joint account with her German husband due to her nationality. Bankinter cited a "lack of commercial interest"…

Asked to comment, N26 said it "must adhere to strict industry standards …Moey! confirmed that it only works with Portuguese nationals but said its brick-and-mortar parent Credito Agricola serves "a wider range of residents"….

Bankinter did not respond to a request for comment…

…Russian opposition activist Yuri Vasiliev has tried to open an account with PKO Bank Polski, Mbank and the local units of Santander, Credit Agricole and Citibank….

Credit Agricole Bank Poland said there was no rule barring Russian citizens but it "may refuse to open an account" under laws…

The other four banks did not respond to requests for comment…

Banco de Portugal said there was no blanket ban on Russian customers who aren't under sanctions…