Maldives' biggest bank stops taking payments for Russians' holidays

Planning a Maldives holiday from Russia just got harder. Bank of Maldives, the country's largest bank, has been rejecting payments for tourist accommodation on the islands since the end of October.

As a result, hotels are now refusing to give tourists rooms.

A bit of background: Russia became the Maldives' largest source of tourists in 2022, when Russians redirected their travel away from Europe. That came after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the sweeping Western sanctions on Russian banks and businesses that followed.

Separately, the Maldives has also come up in sanctions reporting. The Wall Street Journal wrote that the islands have become a new hub for getting around sanctions: dual-use goods (items with both civilian and military uses) are re-registered at the airport and sent to Moscow on Aeroflot flights.