According to Päivi Heikkinen, Head of the Bank of Finland’s Payment Systems Department, Finland is well prepared for various advocacy efforts.
“All those who follow the news know that various malicious things can happen, ”says the head of the payment systems department. Päivi Heikkinen About the Bank of Finland.
As spring progresses, it seems more and more certain that Finland and probably also Sweden will submit their NATO membership application after mid-May.
At the same time, the threats posed by possible NATO membership, and in particular the application period, are becoming more prominent.
Read more: HS data: Finland’s NATO application decision will be made after mid-May
Read more: Finland’s NATO decision has been made quickly and in deliberate steps, and now Finland is taking Sweden with it
Both the NATO debate and the possible membership process are expected to increase Russia’s hybrid influence, said the research director of the European Center for Competence in Combating Hybrid Threats. Hanna Smith In an interview with HS in late April.
“It’s good to be aware that we live in a slightly volatile time. Power outages and denial-of-service attacks may occur, internet connections may be lost momentarily, and military traffic may be seen more at the border, ”Smith told HS.
One A potential target for Russia’s hybrid influence is Finnish payment transactions and banking services.
Communication expert Sanna Räsänen In the same HS interview at the end of April, the Finnish Central Rescue Organization (Spek) called on every Finn to keep cash for a few days.
“
“In practice, this could mean that, for example, debit cards or electronic identification through banks would not work.”
According to the Bank of Finland’s Heikkinen, it is also a good idea to reserve some cash at home – but not in any way more than usual.
“It would be good to have cash at home in all situations as part of a normal preparation for the needs of a few days, the current situation has not brought any change to it. It is also not a bad option to own an account and payment cards in two different banks if the services of a single bank crash, ”says Heikkinen.
“It’s not about painting the monsters on the wall, it’s about recognizing the realities. The probability that interruptions to services may occur is higher than two years ago. ”
Ukraine After the start of the war, the amount of cash withdrawals in Finland increased momentarily. CEO of Automatia, which maintains the ATM network Marko Kolehmainen said To HS in Marchthat cash withdrawals at the turn of February-March were about ten percent higher than at the same time a year ago.
However, according to Kolehmainen, it is difficult to assess whether the cash withdrawal was due to the war in Ukraine or the removal of interest rate restrictions.
According to Kolehmainen, cash withdrawals are currently at a normal level.
“There has been nothing out of the ordinary in recent weeks,” says Kolehmainen.
Heikkinen assures that Finnish banks are prepared for various disruptions.
“Banks’ service production and cyber security are at a good level in Finland. We have experience of various payment default factors and preparing for them, ”says Heikkinen.
“But, of course, the situation is different if the state actor has a firm intention to influence the operations of payment transactions and banking services.”
“
“We have the support of the entire Eurosystem behind us.”
In practice, this could mean that, for example, bank cards or electronic identification through banks would not work.
Disruptions could last for a few days or even more than a week. For example, Heikkinen raises the 2007 statue dispute in Estonia. At that time, Estonia decided to move the statue, which served as a tombstone for Soviet soldiers in Tallinn, away from the center of Tallinn.
As a result, all government services in Estonia were subjected to weeks of cyber-attacks that shut down, among other things, online banking services. The Russian state was widely suspected of attacking the attack.
Heikkinen emphasizes that cash will not run out in Finland, even if people temporarily raise a little home in their homes.
“A single ATM can be temporarily withdrawn from cash, but we have a functioning distribution network, and the Bank of Finland does not run out of banknotes right away.”
In the theoretical worst case scenario, assistance would also be available from elsewhere in the euro area.
“We have the support of the entire Eurosystem behind us.”
#Preparedness #Harassment #Russia #turn #cash #gold #Bank #Finland #expert #prepare #coming #weeks
