NBU Quadruples the Currency Purchase Limit: Why Now
Since August 11, 2026, Ukraine has had the largest package of currency-restriction easing since the start of the full-scale war. Under Board Resolution No. 90 of August 10, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) quadrupled the monthly limit on non-cash foreign currency purchases by individuals — from 50,000 to 200,000 hryvnias. At the same time, cash withdrawal limits and limits on card payments abroad were raised, and businesses gained new options to transfer currency limits within corporate groups and to fund charitable contributions to the Armed Forces and National Guard outside the usual restrictions.
At first glance this looks like a technical update for people who follow the dollar exchange rate. In reality, the NBU's decision is a signal about how the regulator reads the state of the currency market heading into autumn 2026 — and it is worth the attention of anyone currently deciding where to keep their savings: in a hryvnia deposit or in cash foreign currency under the mattress.
What exactly changed on August 11
Limits for individuals
The main change: the non-cash currency purchase limit for citizens rose from 50,000 to 200,000 hryvnias per month. Within that same amount, people can now also buy non-cash bank metals and foreign issuers' securities — previously available only within much narrower limits. In parallel, the NBU raised the limits on cash withdrawals from accounts and on card payments abroad, making it easier to travel or pay for purchases at foreign online stores.
For most people who simply hold a payroll card and occasionally set money aside, this change makes no direct difference — they were never bumping up against the old limit anyway. But for anyone setting aside larger sums, planning a major purchase abroad, or wanting to diversify savings across currencies, a 200,000-hryvnia monthly threshold is a meaningfully different degree of freedom.
What businesses gained
Companies that financially support military units can, from August 10, build an "additional" currency limit specifically through such contributions. Exporters are now allowed to pay fines, penalties, and compensation to foreign partners within their established limits without breaching the usual restrictions. And companies belonging to the same business group can now transfer "investment" and "additional" limits to one another — previously each legal entity was locked into its own allowance, even when money was effectively moving within a single holding structure.
From September 1, the NBU will additionally allow banks to gradually factor in part of previously unformed reserves for active operations when calculating their currency position — a technical detail that in practice gives banks a bit more room to handle clients' currency transactions without bumping into regulatory limits.
Why the NBU is loosening the reins now
Reserves that allow for some risk
The decision to ease restrictions isn't a goodwill gesture — it's a calculated move. Ukraine's international reserves stood at roughly $51.3 billion at the start of July, and under the NBU's updated macro forecast they could approach $70 billion by the end of 2026, largely thanks to external financing from partners. According to the regulator's own estimates, that reserve is enough to cover more than five months of future imports. That cushion is what gives the NBU the confidence to loosen some of the restrictions without fearing a sudden spike in currency demand.
A billion dollars a week — the real price of exchange-rate stability
At the same time, easing the limits doesn't mean the NBU is letting the exchange rate float freely. Quite the opposite: in the first week of August — August 3 to 7 — the central bank sold more than $1 billion net on the interbank market, the fourth consecutive week at that scale. In July, the regulator's net currency sales exceeded $4.7 billion. Under the base scenario, August interventions alone are expected to reach $3.5-4 billion.
In other words, the NBU is giving people and businesses more freedom to buy currency, while itself continuing to pump significant sums into the market every week so the exchange rate doesn't start climbing sharply. That is the essence of "managed flexibility" — the term the regulator uses to describe its policy: more room for private decisions, but tight control to keep aggregate demand from destabilizing the hryvnia.
What this means for your wallet
Should you rush to buy currency now
Raising the limit to 200,000 hryvnias is an opportunity, not a signal to "flee the hryvnia." The regulator is clearly demonstrating that it is willing to keep spending billions of dollars in reserves to keep the rate within the forecast corridor of 44.5-45.5 hryvnias per dollar and 51-52.5 per euro for August. For someone who simply wants to preserve the purchasing power of their savings, this means there's no economic urgency to panic-convert an entire hryvnia cushion into cash foreign currency right now — you'd likely pay a spread at the exchange counter, and the NBU is actively trying to prevent a sharp rate jump in the near term, at the cost of its own reserves.
Planned expenses are a different matter. If you know you'll need to pay for education abroad, a large purchase in foreign currency, or a vacation this autumn or winter, the new limit lets you do that gradually and by bank transfer, without running between exchange offices or keeping cash at home.
Deposits and savings accounts: why the hryvnia still makes sense
For anyone keeping money "for a rainy day," the key question isn't how much currency you can buy, but where that money actually works for you. Hryvnia deposits and savings accounts, unlike foreign cash stashed at home, keep earning interest as long as the NBU holds the rate within its forecast corridor. Before deciding which currency and term to place your savings in, it's worth comparing current terms — for example, checking today's deposit offers and savings account offers across banks, since conditions and rates vary significantly by term and amount.
If your main goal isn't earning interest but having convenient access to your money at any moment — say, for emergency expenses or to actually use the new currency-purchase limit — it's worth reviewing your current account's terms, since some banks offer noticeably better service and conversion conditions than others. You can compare offers on the personal accounts page.
What businesses and sole proprietors should keep in mind
For business owners and sole proprietors, the new rule allowing limits to be transferred within a corporate group could genuinely simplify managing a holding's currency flows — but only if the accounting team and the bank process the transfer correctly. If a company plans to use the new "additional" limit through contributions to the Armed Forces, or needs extra financing for seasonal purchasing, it's worth consulting the bank in advance — and possibly reviewing current loan offers for business.
Bottom line: what to do now
The currency liberalization package that took effect on August 11 isn't a reason to panic or abruptly change your savings strategy — it's more a sign of the regulator's growing confidence in the stability of its reserves. The NBU is simultaneously giving citizens and businesses more freedom while still spending roughly a billion dollars a week to keep the rate within its forecast range. For readers, that means: don't panic-convert your savings into cash currency, but do use the new limits for planned decisions rather than impulsive ones. The best move right now is to calmly compare deposit, savings, and current account terms across banks and pick what fits your own savings horizon — rather than reacting to every headline about the exchange rate.