Risk Consultancy Warns Asian Companies to be Aware of Russian Exposure and Risk

As the armed-conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues, Steve Vickers, CEO of Risk Consultancy Steve Vickers and Associates warned Asian companies to be aware of the risk of Russian money, after Western countries imposed various numbers of Sanctions on Russia.

According to a report published by Steve Vickers, the initial sanctions were aimed at Russian President Vladimir Putin and related financial institutions. However, as Russia’s military operations continues, the scale of sanctions is rapidly growing. Recent measures are targeting the Central Bank of Russia which might be viewed as an act of economic war by Russia. Looking ahead, many countries might completely exclude Russian companies from the international payment system (SWIFT) and that an economic war between great powers seems inevitable.

More, Steve Vickers also pointed out that Russian money has been pouring into Asia in recent years, especially at the financial hub of Singapore, Vietnam and developing economies with ties to the former Soviet Union. Until now, financial institutions are relatively lenient on handling these capital and therefore subject to recent restrictions imposed by US and its allies. He added that many Russian capital are hidden behind layers of off-shore companies or being held through proxy.

He suggests company directors and managements to review existing commercial relationships and clients, to make sure they are not effected by the aforementioned measures. If companies are not ready to face these challenges, the consequences could destroy businesses and also legal consequences for company directors and management.

(Original – Chinese version)

風險顧問:亞洲公司須審視俄國資金風險

俄烏戰火持續，風險顧問公司Steve Vickers and Associates行政總裁Steve Vickers表示，西方國家針對俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭實施一系列制裁措施，亞洲公司必須審視俄羅斯資金的風險。

Steve Vickers發表報告指，最初的制裁措施主要針對與俄羅斯總統普京有關的金融機構，但隨着俄羅斯軍事行動推進，制裁規模正迅速擴大。最近措施針對俄羅斯中央銀行，俄羅斯或會視之為發動經濟戰的宣言。展望未來，許多國家或會將俄羅斯企業完全排除在國際支付系統之外，大國之間的經濟戰看來難以避免。

他指出，近年來，俄羅斯資金湧入亞洲，尤其是財富管理中心新加坡，以及越南等與前蘇聯有聯繫的快速發展中的經濟體。迄今為止，金融界在處理這些資金時都相對寬鬆，因此現時不少亞洲企業或會發現公司會受美國及其盟國的行動影響。他提到，許多俄羅斯資金隱藏在幾層離岸公司之後，或者通過代理人偽裝擁有權。

他建議，企業的董事會及管理層須重新審視現有客戶和合作夥伴，以確定會否構成嚴重威脅。若企業未準備好應對這些挑戰，將面臨的威脅或足以摧毀公司，而董事和管理層或須面對法律處罰。