The NBU has approved rules for financial inclusion banks
This was announced by the National Bank of Ukraine.
The NBU has approved a package of amendments to its regulatory acts governing the activities of financial inclusion banks.
The documents set out the procedure for granting a limited banking licence to a newly established financial inclusion bank, as well as for converting an existing banking licence held by an operating bank into a limited financial inclusion bank licence.
What is a financial inclusion bank?
A financial inclusion bank is a new type of financial institution created to expand access to basic financial services for individuals and small businesses.
According to the NBU’s plan, such banks are to operate primarily in areas where conventional banking infrastructure is limited or unavailable.
This includes remote, sparsely populated areas, communities near areas of hostilities, and liberated territories.
What requirements have been set for financial inclusion banks?
The National Bank has approved the requirements for the strategy and business plan of a financial inclusion bank.
The board of such a bank must draw up and review these documents annually.
They must take into account the specific features of providing services outside the bank’s premises, in particular outside its branches.
How agents will operate
Separately, the NBU has regulated the procedure for engaging commercial agents to provide financial payment services.
Such agents could become an important tool for working in communities where there are no fully-fledged bank branches.
What control rules will apply
Specific provisions regarding internal control and risk management systems have also been established for financial inclusion banks.
At the same time, the NBU has stipulated that certain requirements applicable to newly established and specialised banks will not apply to financial inclusion banks.
Changes have been made, in particular, to the regulations on the organisation of risk management systems in Ukrainian banks and banking groups, as well as to the regulations on the licensing of banks.
What Andrii Pyshnyi said
Andriy Pyshnyy, Governor of the NBU, described the launch of financial inclusion banks as an unprecedented initiative.
According to him, FIBs are intended to address the issue of full access to financial services for the population – particularly socially vulnerable groups and small businesses – in challenging regions.
Pyshnyy emphasised that this is a matter of the regions’ survival in the current circumstances and an important part of the financial sector’s transformation.
When will the changes come into force?
The changes were approved by three resolutions of the NBU’s Board dated 12 June 2026.
They will come into force simultaneously with the enactment of the Law on the Development of Financial Inclusion — on 26 June 2026.
From that date, applicants will be able to apply to the National Bank for a financial inclusion bank licence.
What will determine the processing of applications
The NBU has explained that the speed of application processing will depend on the quality and completeness of the submitted documentation.
This means that applicants will need to provide all the necessary materials in accordance with the regulator’s new requirements.
Why this is important
The Law on Financial Inclusion Banks was drafted to fulfil Ukraine’s commitments to the International Monetary Fund.
According to World Bank estimates, the level of financial inclusion in Ukraine stood at 84% in 2021, which is 11 percentage points below the target of 95%.
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