MOSCOW, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble continued

to weaken against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday but was flat

against China's yuan, reflecting the global weakness of the

Chinese currency and the dollar's strength.

By 0900 GMT, the rouble was flat at 13.35 against

the yuan in the over-the-counter (OTC) market, according to data

compiled by LSEG. It was down 0.67% to 97.35 against the

dollar, after falling to 99.12 on Tuesday, the lowest since

October 2023.

Trading in yuan at the Moscow Stock Exchange (MOEX)

continued as usual on the third day after the expiry of a

licence from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign

Assets Control (OFAC) that allowed banks to deal with MOEX.

The easing of mandatory forex sales requirements to 25% of

all foreign trade revenues from 50% previously, announced by the

government on Oct. 11, was a factor in the rouble's weakness

against all major currencies, traders said.

Western sanctions, introduced on the Moscow Stock Exchange

(MOEX) and its clearing agent, the National Clearing Centre, on

June 12, stopped all trade in dollars and euros at MOEX, making

China's yuan the most-traded foreign currency in Russia.

Trade in dollars and euros has shifted to the

over-the-counter (OTC) market, obscuring price data.

The rouble strengthened 0.5% to 105.86 against the euro

, LSEG data showed.

Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's

main export, was flat at $74.30 a barrel, supported by OPEC+

cuts, after a sharp fall in recent days.