[aic5]

Removing Russia from SWIFT is the financial equivalent of a nuclear option. It will block Russian banks and businesses to receive or pay for goods and services in the short term, effectively cutting them from the rest of the world.

The message that weaponizing SWIFT will send is that the platform is no longer as reliable for financial purposes. In the long term, it will increase the interest for alternative solutions that will further fragment payments and markets.

Bankers do not like uncertainty. They will find ways around this restriction and likely keep the alternatives. If this happens, SWIFT is not coming back to Russia when this is over.

[randomsearch]

If what you said were true, western countries would not be divided on this issue. It just so happens that Germany are being cowardly over this issue, and the Germans are dependent on Russian energy.