Russian Ruble Recovers Nearly All Post-Sanctions Losses

Russia's ruble and banking system are showing continued signs of recovery from the initial punch of sanctions, as Moscow relies on energy exports and currency controls to partly protect the nation's economy.

After initially plummeting, the ruble has rebounded and is edging closer to the value it held before the war began, according to the official exchange rate. And the banking system is gradually stabilizing as panicked customer withdrawals subside, economists say.

Some of the recovery is artificial, made possible by strict limits that the central bank, the Bank of Russia, has placed on currency exchange, withdrawals and hard-currency transfers overseas. But it is also due to a very real factor still working in Russia's favor: strong oil and gas exports that bring a flood of hard currency into the country.

Dmitry Medvedev says that "the era of regional currencies is coming" because confidence in reserve currencies is melting away, "abandoning the dollar and the euro does not look like a fantastical prospect".

— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) March 30, 2022