UK, EU ready for Brexit referendum
Anh Huyen -  
(VOVworld)- On June 23, British voters will vote to decide whether to stay or leave the EU after more than 40 years as an EU member. Remain and Leave campaigns continue across the UK. The EU and the international financial community have already prepared plans for a Brexit scenario.
Stay and Leave campaigns resumed on June 18 after being suspended for 2 days following the assassination of Jo Cox, an anti-Brexit MP of the Labor Party. She was also a tireless campaigner for the protection of migrants in the UK.
The latest Opinium/Observer poll puts both sides at 44%, with 10% undecided. EC President Donald Tusk said it’s not easy to be optimistic about Britain voters staying in the EU.
With the EU and the international financial institutions preparing Brexit scenarios, the EC President said the EU will survive, even if the costs are high. Jeroen Dijsselblem, President of the Eurogroup of Eurozone Finance Ministers, said the EU is ready to cope with the consequences of Britain leaving the EU. He said the EU has taken into consideration all contingencies and is capable of withstanding any shock. He said it’s important to strengthen internal cooperation whatever the result of the referendum in the UK.
Senior staff at Britain's top banks will be working through the night on June 23rd to cope with any financial fallout from the EU referendum result. Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and the Bank of England are among those mobilizing workers for what could be a turbulent 24 hours after voting closes at 10pm. A Brexit decision will send shockwaves through financial markets and pose serious questions for the future of the UK and its 2.9 trillion USD economy. The forex, securities and bond markets would obviously be affected by a Brexit, but a Brexit also poses challenges for European market infrastructure like computer systems and securities transaction floors.
Anh Huyen