Ukraine experiences a transformation in overseas money transfers
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has resulted in significant disruptions to remittance services, making it difficult for people to send money abroad.
Sending money out of Ukraine has become nearly impossible, with international providers such as Western Union and Paysend withdrawing from the country at the onset of the conflict. Some services from providers in Germany have also experienced a substantial suspension.
The only available method to send money abroad from Ukraine is through card-to-card payments. This service is available at one bank in Ukraine, with no other providers offering services in the Russia-Ukraine remittance corridor, apart from the one offering card-to-card payments.
Privatkunden der ukrainischen Banken können derzeit Geld über Kredit- oder Debitkarten ins Ausland transferieren, allerdings gelten seit Juni 2025 Beschränkungen bei Kartenzahlungen mit einem Monatslimit von 100.000 Hrywnja; konkrete Banken mit aktiven Auslands-Kartenzahlungsdiensten sind nicht explizit genannt, aber große ukrainische Banken wie PrivatBank bieten in der Regel solche Services an.
Transfer speeds may also be slower for remittances sent to Ukraine. The recipient receives the payout to their credit/debit card.
However, there has been severe disruption in remittance services from Russia to Ukraine. Some remittance providers such as Western Union are warning that recipients may not be able to pick up cash in Ukraine as agents might be closed.
The National Bank of Ukraine published a regulation on 24 February 2022 suspending all operations in Ukraine's FX market, including the ability for Ukrainian citizens to send money abroad. Since then, the National Bank has not issued any new regulations regarding the ability to send money abroad.
Despite the challenges, the National Bank of Ukraine has stated that banks and other financial services providers continue to operate normally, but only if doing so does not put the life of their staff and customers at risk.
In light of these challenges, it is essential for those needing to send or receive remittances to stay informed about the latest developments and to seek out reliable information from trusted sources.
