Recent news has emerged from Russia that points to an uncertain future for its banking system. On Saturday, February 26th, Russians lined up around corners to take out cash from ATMs due to fears that their banking system may collapse. This massive ‘cash-out’ was prompted by US and European sanctions which included barring some Russian banks from SWIFT—the global messaging system for financial transactions between banks—and freezing international currency reserves.

In response, the Bank of Russia increased the amount of money it supplies and placed a notice on its website reassuring customers that their money was safe. However, Sberbank Europe divisions suspended payments after a bank run occurred while President Vladimir Putin signed an order prohibiting residents from taking more than $100k worth of foreign currency out of the country; additionally, exporting companies were asked to sell 80% foreign exchange earnings into the domestic market.

The implications of such sanctions are immense as Russia’s economy is heavily reliant on both imports and exports. If international banks are blocked from doing business with Russian banks through SWIFT or if residents are unable to transfer large sums of money abroad, then this could create severe economic instability and recession within the nation. Furthermore, these restrictions could severely limit access to funds for trade finance or to secure loans or investments needed for growth and infrastructure development.

Unfortunately, it seems that all options come at a cost: either citizen have access to their own funds but not those outside of their nation’s borders or they have access to foreign currency but limited access within their own country’s economy. It is also possible that both scenarios will be true; however, it is unclear how long these sanctions will last or what further repercussions they may have on the banking and financial sectors in Russia.

Overall, these recent developments highlight just how quickly economic stability can unravel in the face of international sanctions and other external pressures. Moving forward, leaders in Russia must find ways to protect citizens’ savings while also allowing for necessary growth through secured loans and investments so as not to perpetuate uncertainty in this extremely volatile situation.