Several UK banks suspend trading Qatari rial

(London) – Several British banks have suspended trading Qatari riyals for retail customers, as the extended diplomatic crisis in the Gulf puts growing pressure on the currency, UAE News Agency (WAM) reported. Lloyds Bank, Bank of Scotland and Halifax – all operated by Lloyds Banking Group – have stopped buying and selling the currency because the third-party supplier that fulfils their foreign exchange service has stopped trading in riyals, the bank said in a statement. Barclays’ and Royal Bank of Scotland’s retail foreign exchange service has also been affected in the same way.