The Russian exit: why the way out is not easy for investors

A protester holds a banner calling for Russia to be banned from the SWIFT banking system during a demonstration against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (Image: Getty)

David Chaplin

Wed, 02 Mar 2022

War and ethics don’t mix that well.And in what seems a clear ethical response to the invasion of Ukraine, some New Zealand investors are bailing out of Russian assets.For example, a spokesperson for the investment arm of Westpac NZ, BT, announced plans to sell down “all government bonds and Russian shares subject to sanctions across all our investment funds, including Westpac KiwiSaver”.ANZ Investments also confirmed it had offloaded all Russia-based holdings last week, shedding $12 million from a portfolio currently amounting...

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