Currency restrictions for Ukrainians abroad will be eased - what the NBU will change from 11 August

The National Bank of Ukraine in 11 August is raising limits on buying foreign currency, cash withdrawals, and payments for goods and services abroad for citizens and companies. As NBU head Andriy Pyshny stated, the bank prepared new regulatory changes to support business. The biggest novelty is that the limit for individuals' cashless purchases of foreign currency will grow to 200 thousand hryvnias per month instead of 50 thousand. At the same time, withdrawal limits from foreign currency accounts and payments for goods and rent abroad are increasing. The changes also affect legal entities and the financial sector.

The package of liberalizations was approved by the board of the National Bank of Ukraine by a resolution dated 10 August 2026, year 90. According to the regulator, the liberalizations will not create risks to the stability of the foreign exchange market.

According to the NBU, the liberalizations will not create risks to the stability of the foreign exchange market given the forming prerequisites and careful analysis of each individual step. This package of currency liberalization is already reflected in the updated macroeconomic forecast of the NBU, which envisions international reserves growing to nearly 70 billion US dollars in 2026 year.

Expanded opportunities for the population

The key change concerns citizens: the limit on cash withdrawals from hryvnia and foreign currency accounts in Ukraine and abroad will be raised to 200 thousand hryvnias per day instead of 100 thousand. This concerns both Ukrainians abroad and those living in Ukraine.

In addition, the possibilities for paying for goods, works, services, and rent abroad from hryvnia and foreign currency accounts are expanded — limits rise to 200 thousand hryvnias per month, and payments can be made not only by cards but also by transfers from account to account, including via SWIFT. Separately, the limit of 500 thousand hryvnias per month for paying for living abroad with a foreign currency card has been extended to include rental payments.

What will change for businesses and banks

For legal entities, cash withdrawal limits from hryvnia and foreign currency accounts rise to 200 thousand hryvnias per day instead of 100 thousand, and the limit for settlements with corporate cards abroad is raised to 400 thousand hryvnias per month. A new “additional” limit for catalytic liberalization is also launched for companies that make direct charitable contributions to military units of the Armed Forces and the National Guard.

For the financial sector, there is a possibility for the Motor Insurance Bureau to buy foreign currency for reserves of the Green Card, and banks will gradually, from 1 September, be able to include part of reserves in capital for active operations in calculating the currency position — this is the only change of the package that takes effect later than the rest.

Currency market liberalization was gradually intensified

The easing of restrictions occurs against the backdrop of gradual strengthening of macroeconomic indicators and an increase in Ukraine's international reserves. The regulator notes that each liberalization step is accompanied by a separate risk analysis for exchange-rate stability.

At the same time, the NBU continues to monitor the situation on the foreign exchange market and exchange-rate fluctuations, which affect decisions on the pace of easing restrictions.

The NBU had previously relaxed rules for citizens and business

Earlier, Informator reported that the hryvnia exchange rate was under pressure from high oil prices and export difficulties, and economists assessed whether the NBU would be able to maintain stability of the national currency in August. We also wrote that the National Bank clarified the rules for issuing receipts when paying utility bills, stressing that there is no need to demand a tax number and full card number on them.