[ti:Russia's Rich Move Money to Dubai] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:01.24]Rich Russians are trying to move some of their wealth from Europe to Dubai [00:06.00]as a result of Western sanctions, financial and legal sources say. [00:11.40]The sanctions are a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [00:16.20]Dubai, the Persian Gulf's financial and business center, [00:20.72]has long been a point of interest for the very rich. [00:24.68]And the United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) refusal to take sides [00:30.48]between Western allies and Moscow [00:33.24]has suggested to Russians that their money is safe there. [00:37.12]The UAE, which over the years has deepened its ties with Russia, [00:42.20]has not agreed to observe sanctions put in place by Western nations. [00:47.40]Its central bank has so far not issued guidance regarding Western sanctions. [00:53.64]In many cases, wealthy Russians are seeking to move money [00:57.88]that is now in Switzerland or London, [01:00.72]a senior banker at a large Swiss private bank [01:04.12]and a lawyer familiar with the matter said. [01:08.24]The lawyer, who is based in Dubai, [01:11.20]said his firm had received questions about how quickly [01:15.20]it could move large amounts of money [01:17.64]- hundreds of millions of dollars - to the Gulf Arab state. [01:22.60]The Dubai Media Office, UAE foreign ministry and central bank [01:28.16]did not immediately respond to a question [01:31.12]about the amount of Russian funds going into Dubai. [01:36.32]The senior private banker said in some cases, [01:39.48]Russian clients with accounts at private banks [01:42.72]were opening accounts with that same bank's UAE branch. [01:47.16]Others were opening accounts with local banks, the banker added. [01:52.80]Russians are facing a weakened economy at home. [01:56.20]They are also looking to put their money in investments, [01:59.72]including real estate, and buying into funds [02:03.04]that do not reveal ownership information, another financial source said. [02:09.48]Dubai has long been popular with Russians, [02:12.08]who were among the top visitors to the emirate [02:15.20]and purchasers of real estate even before the war. [02:19.08]Bankers said there was a risk of reputational harm [02:23.28]to organizations receiving Russian funds [02:26.44]as companies around the world cut ties with Moscow. [02:31.52]Some major UAE banks are taking a careful approach. [02:35.84]Banks operating in the Gulf state have in the past been punished [02:40.60]for not following rules about sanctions [02:43.68]on countries including Iran and Sudan. [02:47.44]The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) [02:51.80]is a worldwide organization that examines financial crimes. [02:57.08]Last week, it put the UAE on a "grey list" of places [03:01.72]subject to increased examination. [03:04.68]The Dubai Media Office, UAE foreign ministry and central bank [03:10.16]did not immediately respond to questions [03:13.00]about how banks and businesses should deal with sanctions on Russia. [03:18.08]Two sources familiar with the matter said businesses in the UAE [03:22.84]would spend more time looking into the origins of their funds [03:27.04]through a so-called Know-Your-Customer process. [03:31.40]A source at a Dubai bank said that funds from Russians [03:35.00]are not being accepted for wealth management, [03:38.04]though they could set up deposit accounts. [03:40.96]"They can do it," but the bank [03:43.40]has high compliance hurdles to clear to accept Russian money, [03:47.92]including evidence of where it came from, the source said. [03:52.08]The UAE's private wealth industry has not yet reached the size [03:57.08]or complexity to fully take in wealth stored in Switzerland [04:01.40]and other traditional money shelters, sources said. [04:05.48]"They might take some, [04:07.48]but I find it hard to imagine that they would take it all," [04:10.60]an investment management professional said. [04:13.56]"It's not just the servicing element, [04:16.32]but the investment management which most of these banks lack." [04:20.96]I'm John Russell. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM