In a tweet late Tuesday, Alireza Peyman-Pak announced the opening of the representative office of Russia’s VTB bank in Iran.
Earlier in December, the state-owned VTB announced that cross-border bank transfers in Iranian rial will be possible for businesses and individuals who open a new rial account with the bank.
The Kommersant newspaper reported that the bank would charge a 1% commission for transfers of up to $300,000 (RUB 20 million) to an Iranian bank account that will take place within one business day.
VTB’s vice president Denis Valvachyov said that the new service would reinforce economic cooperation between Iran and Russia, especially by boosting tourism between the two countries.
This is the first Russian bank that will be present in Iran, helping effectively transfer the county's income to the banking network.
Tehran and Moscow are recently deepening their economic and energy ties to counter foreign sanctions targeting the two countries.
MNA/TSN2895923