Greece has moved to close its banks and impose capital controls to prevent financial chaos following the breakdown of bailout talks with its international creditors.
The dramatic move came at the end of a weekend which saw Greece lurch closer to a potential exit from the European single currency, confronting the eurozone with a rupture unprecedented since its launch in 1999.
Greece’s financial stability council, grouping banks, regulators and government, decided to impose the controls last night after the European Central Bank said it would freeze the amount of emergency loans it supplied to keep the Greek banking system afloat.
Announcing the capital controls, Alexis Tsipras, Greek premier, assured Greeks that their deposits were safe.
Officials said the shutdown of the banks would last for several days and would be accompanied by limits yet to be announced on bank transfers abroad and withdrawals from cash machines.
The cashing of cheques would be halted and fixed term deposits would be locked down. The Athens stock exchange was also set to be closed.
The day’s events followed the surprise move by the Greek government late on Friday night to call a referendum on new bailout terms offered by the country’s international creditors, triggering a showdown with Athens’ eurozone partners and pushing the country closer to “Grexit”.
在與國際債權人的紓困會談決裂後，希臘已封閉了該國的銀行，並實施了本錢管束，以防備湧現金融淩亂。
這一戲劇性的舉動是在周末停止之際宣告的。在方才曩昔的這個周末，希臘趔趔趄趄地走近一個潛伏的終局，那便是退出歐洲單一泉幣，使歐元區面對自1999年景立以來亙古未有的分別。
由銀行、羈系機談判當局三方代表構成的希臘金融穩固理事會昨晚決議實施本錢管束。此前歐洲央行(ECB)表現，將凍結其為堅持希臘銀行系統運轉而供給的緊迫貸款。
希臘總理亞歷克西斯•齊普拉斯(Alexis Tsipras)在宣告實施本錢管束的時刻向希臘人包管，他們的存款是平安的。
官員們表現，各銀即將停滯業務數天，同時還將履行針對向外洋銀行轉賬和取款機提款的限定，詳細細節尚待宣告。
支票兌現將被停滯，按期存款將被鎖定。雅典證券生意業務所也將封閉。
更早的時刻，希臘當局於上周五晚間再度做出驚人之舉，宣告將針對國際債權人提出的新紓困前提舉辦全民公投，此舉激發雅典方面與歐元區火伴國攤牌，把希臘進一步推向“退歐”的結局。
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