Ukraine central bank defends currency trading ban

KIEV: Ukraine's central bank defended its decision on Wednesday to ban most foreign currency trading for the rest of the week, after sharp criticism of the move by Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk.

The bank's website updated the announcement of the move to add a justification, saying the decision was taken to "maintain the stability of the currency market and limit unfounded demand for foreign currency on the part of bank clients, which is causing a lack of balance in the inter-bank currency market.