MOSCOW, September 20 Russian financial authorities may return some currency control measures to curb capital outflow, Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseev said, speaking in the State Duma.< br />«A whole series of measures are being considered aimed at restoring a number of currency control measures. I would not like to name them now, because the measures are still being discussed,» the official clarified.
Currency control — checking foreign exchange transactions for compliance Russian laws.
He explained that it is not yet clear which of these measures will be taken; in general, they are aimed at controlling the outflow of capital that goes through friendly countries.
The solutions being developed will make it possible to contain short-term fluctuations in the exchange rate, Moiseev concluded.
Later, Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank Alexei Zabotkin noted that the regulator still does not support the introduction of new currency restrictions. He explained that the measures that are now in effect remain symmetrical “with respect to the restrictions that are imposed on us.”
As Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in early September, the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank are looking for consensus in the application of the currency control mechanism. According to him, if earlier the Bank of Russia strictly insisted on these measures, and the Ministry of Finance was “more liberal,” now the Ministry of Finance insists on strengthening measures to control currency flows.