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Swiss Bank UBS Halts Iran, Syria Business |
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Monday, 23 January 2006 |
 AP
ZURICH, Switzerland - Swiss banking giant UBS AG said Sunday it
has stopped doing business with Iran because of
the company's economic and risk analysis of the situation in the
country.
UBS will no longer deal with individuals, companies or state
institutions such as Iran's central bank, company spokesman Serge
Steiner said. A similar policy is also being implemented in the case of
Syria, he said.
All existing business with customers in Iran will be canceled, but
Iranians in exile are not affected by the decision, Steiner said,
confirming an article in Swiss weekly SonntagsZeitung.
"It is a carefully prepared measure that has been under consideration since last fall," Steiner said.
Iran is under increasing international pressure over its nuclear
program and mindful of the freezing of its U.S. assets after the 1979
seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran. The nation has an estimated
$50 billion in European banks and Iran's Central Bank governor said
over the weekend that it will move its reserves quickly if it deems it
necessary to do so.
Steiner declined to specify the volume of business affected by the bank's decision
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