If you live or work abroad and have relied on Revolut or Wise for everyday payments, this article is for you. In 2026, both services significantly restricted their operations for Ukrainian residents, leaving millions of people searching for alternatives. Here is what happened and which solutions actually work today.
On 22 February 2026, Revolut closed the accounts of all clients registered in Ukraine. The company failed to obtain a licence from the National Bank of Ukraine — negotiations lasted over a year but ended without result. The closure was phased: users were given 60 days to withdraw their funds, after which all incoming transactions to closed accounts were automatically rejected and returned to the sender.
The only way to keep a Revolut account is to have a verified residential address in the EU or the United Kingdom. If you are a displaced person in Poland, Germany or the Netherlands with an official temporary protection permit or residence permit, you can open or maintain your account. But if your primary registered address remains in Ukraine, Revolut is closed to you.
Wise did not close accounts en masse but significantly reduced its options for Ukrainian residents. Wise Mastercard cards are no longer issued to Ukrainian addresses. Multi-currency accounts are effectively unavailable to new Ukrainian customers. The service continues to work mainly for receiving transfers from abroad to cards of Ukrainian banks. If you still have an old Wise account opened before 2022, it generally continues to function, but there are no guarantees about its future.
Even if you use standard PrivatBank, monobank or Oschadbank cards abroad, it is important to understand the National Bank of Ukraine restrictions currently in force under martial law. Here are the current limits for 2026:
An important detail: banks may impose their own, lower limits. For example, a specific bank may cap a single ATM withdrawal at UAH 20,000–40,000 even if the weekly regulatory limit has not been exhausted. Check your bank's specific terms in the app or with customer support before travelling or making an important payment.
The payments market did not stop moving after Revolut's exit. Several worthy alternatives have become more accessible to Ukrainians — each with its own niche and strengths. The right choice depends on where you live and which operations you need most often.
ZEN.com is a financial service registered in Poland and Lithuania and is currently the most popular Revolut alternative among Ukrainians. The key advantage is that registration happens remotely using a Ukrainian passport or ID card, with no need for an EU residential address. A multi-currency account activates immediately after verification, and a virtual Mastercard is available for online payments from day one. A physical card is sent by post to an address in Ukraine or any EU country.
ZEN is suitable for cashless payments in shops and online, for subscriptions to foreign services such as Netflix, Spotify and Adobe, and for transfers between accounts in different currencies. Basic features are free and the exchange rate is competitive. If you are looking for a single service to replace Revolut with minimal requirements, ZEN is the fastest way to start.
Paysera is a Lithuanian financial service that opens euro accounts remotely and provides an IBAN for SEPA transfers. This is particularly valuable for those officially employed in the EU or receiving social benefits from local authorities: an account with a full IBAN looks to employers and government bodies like a standard bank account rather than a third-party wallet.
The key limitation: Paysera sends physical cards only to those with a confirmed address in an EU country — temporary protection status, a residence permit or official registration. If you are registered in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania or Estonia, Paysera becomes a convenient and affordable way to get a full euro IBAN without opening an account at a local bank.
TransferGo is neither a bank account nor a wallet. It is an international money transfer service optimally designed for regular transfers from the EU to Ukraine. It holds no balance and issues no cards — money simply crosses the border and arrives on the recipient's card. Transfers go through within a few hours, and in certain corridors instantly. The rate and fees are transparent and in most cases more competitive than a standard SWIFT bank transfer.
To send money, the recipient in Ukraine only needs a card from any Ukrainian bank. Sender registration takes 5–7 minutes. The ideal solution for monthly support to family members or paying utility bills in Ukraine from abroad.
Genome is aimed at clients dealing with amounts from €3,000 per month upwards — freelancers, sole traders and IT specialists who receive payments from foreign companies. The service offers a full multi-currency IBAN account, Mastercard cards and business tools for transaction management. The monthly subscription fee is offset when the service is used actively for business settlements. Registration is available for Ukrainians residing abroad using a passport, with no requirement for a specific residential address.
The most effective strategy for Ukrainians abroad is not to rely on a single service but to consciously distribute functions across several tools. Keep your main account at ZEN.com or Paysera for daily expenses in euros in your country of residence. Keep a monobank or PrivatBank card for accessing hryvnia savings and making transfers within Ukraine. Use TransferGo when you need to regularly send money to relatives. This approach avoids both the regulatory restrictions of any single service and excessive currency conversion costs.
If you are planning to open a personal bank account, compare current offers on BankSorter.com before making your decision. It is also worth considering savings accounts for holding a hryvnia reserve fund that generates interest, so your money does not lose value unnecessarily.
The exit of Revolut and the scaling back of Wise is not a catastrophe but a natural shift in the payments landscape. The market offers perfectly adequate alternatives: ZEN.com for everyday expenses, Paysera for those with EU registration, TransferGo for transfers home. The key is not to wait until the old setup finally stops working, but to configure a convenient and secure financial system for yourself and your family abroad today. Compare the best personal banking options at BankSorter.com and take charge of your finances now.
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