Photo: depositphotos
Ukraine’s National Bank has eased restrictions on access to funds held in Ukrainian bank accounts and their use abroad.
Starting August 11, Ukrainians can spend up to UAH 200,000 per month on purchasing foreign currency and withdraw the equivalent of UAH 200,000 per day from foreign ATMs, according to the NBU.
The regulator has also increased the amount Ukrainians can spend abroad using hryvnia accounts and expanded withdrawal and transfer limits for foreign-currency accounts.
Buying foreign currency
The NBU has quadrupled the monthly limit for purchasing foreign currency through banking apps, raising it from UAH 50,000 to UAH 200,000.
This allows holders of hryvnia accounts to convert and keep a significantly larger amount in euros, dollars or other foreign currencies.
Payments from hryvnia accounts
The monthly limit for spending abroad from a hryvnia account has increased from UAH 100,000 to UAH 200,000.
The new rules also allow these funds to be used to pay rent. A bank can transfer money directly from a customer’s hryvnia account to a landlord’s bank account after converting the funds into the required currency.
Payments from foreign-currency accounts
The NBU has expanded the limits for direct bank transfers from accounts where funds are already held in foreign currency.
The new limits are:
- Goods, works and services: equivalent of UAH 200,000 per month.
- Accommodation and rent: equivalent of UAH 500,000 per month, including the possibility of making SWIFT transfers.
Cash withdrawals abroad
The daily limit for cash withdrawals from foreign-currency accounts at foreign ATMs has been doubled, from UAH 100,000 to UAH 200,000.
The increase applies only to withdrawals from foreign-currency accounts. The limit for cash withdrawals from hryvnia cards remains unchanged.
The NBU introduced strict foreign exchange restrictions after Russia’s full-scale invasion to limit capital outflows and stabilize Ukraine’s financial system.
In 2023, the regulator adopted a strategy for gradually easing these restrictions and began implementing it in 2024. In 2026, the NBU continued the process, including easing currency rules for businesses, military personnel and Ukrainians living abroad.
The latest measures represent another step toward the gradual liberalization of Ukraine’s foreign exchange controls.
