Several holders of “Gazprom” bonds due today said they received payments in US dollars, although Russian President Vladimir Putin allowed companies the option to pay off foreign debt in rubles.
Bloomberg, citing people involved in the matter, confirmed that holders of the $1.3 billion bond of the Russian state energy company received the money earlier on Monday.
Last Saturday, Putin’s announcement of a decree allowing companies to pay foreign debts in local currency had raised investor concerns about Russia’s default.
The report indicated that “Gazprom” payments were in the process of transferring to bond holders through the settlement bank on the fourth of this March, one day before Putin’s announcement.
Russian institutions were hit hard by Western sanctions imposed on financial institutions in Moscow, against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.