From February 1, 2025, new limits on card transfers came into effect in Ukraine, established within the Memorandum on Ensuring Financial System Transparency. Now, the maximum transfer amount per month cannot exceed 150,000 UAH, and from June 2025, this limit will be lowered to 100,000 UAH. This impacted the financial behavior of Ukrainians, forcing them to seek alternative ways to transfer funds.
How Ukrainians are adapting to the new limits
According to the Deputy Chairperson of the Globus Bank Board, Anna Dovgalska, clients are actively seeking ways to navigate the situation without exceeding the established limits. Among the most common methods are:
- Opening accounts in different banks. This allows for distributing transfers among several institutions without exceeding the limits in each of them.
- Using international transfers via IBAN. This helps avoid restrictions set on domestic card operations.
- Reducing the number of small transfers. Many users have become more cautious about their expenses, trying to avoid unnecessary small transfers.
Do Ukrainians really transfer less money?
According to banks, at the beginning of February, the number of card transfers decreased by 12%, and the total amount of transferred funds dropped by 18%. However, by mid-month, the situation stabilized, and experts predict a slight increase in transfer volumes in March-April (by 1-3%).
Bankers attribute these fluctuations to the fact that there is always an adaptation period after the introduction of new rules. Within 2-3 months, users get used to the changes and find optimal ways to manage their finances.
Financial operations control: Will the market become more transparent?
One of the key goals of the new Memorandum is to reduce risky operations and combat illegal schemes. As Anna Dovhalska points out, most banks have been using a risk-oriented approach to client analysis for a long time, so there have been no significant changes in the user structure.
At the same time, some high-risk clients may face stricter requirements for financial operation transparency. According to estimates, such clients make up no more than 5-7% in each bank, and this share remains stable even after the introduction of new rules.
What else is changing in financial monitoring?
The Memorandum includes not only reducing limits but also strengthens control over:
- Fraudulent operations – detection and blocking of suspicious transactions.
- Transfers related to gambling – reducing financing of gambling through banking systems.
- Use of “drop-offs” – counteracting schemes where dummy persons use their accounts to launder money.
Thanks to a comprehensive approach, banks can effectively protect the financial system from abuses while maintaining comfortable conditions for honest clients.
Which banks have supported the new rules?
The Memorandum on ensuring transparency of the payment market was signed on December 10, 2024, between the National Bank of Ukraine and the following banks:
- JSC “Oschadbank”;
- JSC “Raiffeisen Bank”;
- JSC “PrivatBank”;
- JSC “Universal Bank” (monobank).
Later, another 25 financial institutions joined the initiative.
Conclusions: what can Ukrainians expect?
Ukrainians quickly adapt to new financial rules, using various ways to bypass limits. However, the banking system continues to improve monitoring methods to ensure transparency and combat illegal schemes. In the coming months, further changes in the field of financial control are expected, as well as improvements in security mechanisms for all users of banking services.
