{
  "id": 8074794,
  "title": "Shares in Raiffeisen Bank International fell 9% after a short seller accused the lender of helping Russia evade sanctions. The bank called the report misleading and factually wrong.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/shares-in-raiffeisen-bank-international-fell-9-after-a-short-seller",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-17T18:04:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/09/17/shares-in-raiffeisen-bank-international-fell-9-after-a-short-seller-accused-the-lender-of-helping-russia-evade-sanctions-the-bank-called-the-report-misleading-and-factually-wrong"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On September 17, the value of shares in Raiffeisen Bank International dropped by 9% following a report from short seller Grizzly Research accusing the bank of aiding Russia in evading sanctions. Raiffeisen responded by calling the report misleading and containing factual errors, stating their confidence in their compliance systems, which have undergone repeated audits. The bank has been attempting to sell its Russian business for years. Grizzly Research alleged that Raiffeisen and its Russian subsidiary were among the main channels for evading sanctions, claiming $1.19 billion in trade with Russia went through the bank, including transactions in sanctioned goods used by Russia's armed forces. However, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts suggest that Grizzly Research might be overstating Raiffeisen's risks associated with sanctions. They argue that transactions through the bank's Russian subsidiary do not inherently prove sanctions evasion, with the greater risk coming from regulatory scrutiny, such as from the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control or the European Central Bank. Raiffeisen Bank International's primary asset in Russia is its subsidiary, AO Raiffeisenbank, which remains the largest Western lender in the country and has not faced any sanctions. The bank had planned to phase out its Russian operations from the initial weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but has yet to fully exit the Russian market. Russian authorities are obstructing the sale of Raiffeisen's Russian business, which requires their approval, but Moscow seeks to keep the bank in Russia as a conduit for settling payments with Western countries, primarily Europe. The United States has also pressured Raiffeisen due to its dealings with Russia.",
  "summary": "Shares in Raiffeisen Bank International fell 9% during trading on September 17 after the short seller Grizzly Research published a report accusing the bank of helping Russia evade sanctions.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Meduza (English)",
        "title": "Russia places Zhanna Nemtsova, daughter of murdered politician Boris Nemtsov, on its international wanted list",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/russia-places-zhanna-nemtsova-daughter-of-murdered-politician-boris",
        "published": "2026-09-17T15:53:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}