Since Russia recognized the independence of the two separatist republics located in eastern Ukraine (February 21, 2022) and launched its invasion of the country (February 24, 2022), the stock prices of major Russian companies plummeted. Russian bank Sberbank lost over 99 percent of its market value.
Russia's central bank, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR), acknowledged that the banking sector had lost liquidity and increased interest rates from 9.5 to 20 percent. In addition, the government introduced capital controls by ordering every private company to sell currency to the Bank of Russia and prohibited residents from making foreign transfers. Customers of sanctioned banks were prevented from using Apple Pay, Google Pay and, Samsung Pay.
Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, is leaving the European market as a result of pressure from Western sanctions. On February 28, the European Central Bank reported that Sberbank Europe and its subsidiaries in Croatia and Slovenia were at risk of bankruptcy as a result of a deterioration in its liquidity.
On March 2, the London Stock Exchange suspended trading in global depository receipts (GDRs) of several Russian companies, including Rosneft, Sberbank, Gazprom, En+, and Lukoil, with immediate effect.