The central bank of Ukraine has adjusted the fixed exchange rate of the national currency in U.S. dollars and introduced stricter limits on hryvnia transactions for citizens. The measures are likely to turn more Ukrainians to cryptocurrencies, according to a representative of the local crypto sector.
The 50,000-hryvnia ceiling for withdrawals from payment cards has now been substituted with a weekly limit of 12,500 ($340). Peer-to-peer transfers abroad from cards issued by Ukrainian banks have been cut from 100,000 hryvnia (approx. $2,700) to 30,000 hryvnia ($800). And the limit for cross-border settlements with hryvnia cards has been set at 100,000 per month.
All the measures introduced since the beginning of the war are temporary and allow the economy to survive, assured NBU Governor Kirill Shevchenko. However, they are seriously affecting Ukrainians, especially those millions of the nation’s citizens who have been forced to leave the country and are still unable to return.
Chobanyan also noted that the new limits will hinder the work of volunteers, since most of the humanitarian assistance is purchased with cards issued by Ukrainian banks and owned by individuals. “Now we will completely switch these flows to crypto,” said Chobanyan who described the central bank’s policy as aggressive and warned that Ukrainian banks and the state budget will be the losers.
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