The National Bank of Ukraine has announced a major update to the supervision process for financial institutions. From now on, the assessment of the accessibility of financial services for people with disabilities will become an integral part of bank inspections.
This is reported by Finway
Reasons for the Changes and the Incident with a Veteran
NBU Chairman Andriy Pyshnyy emphasized that the update of the rules was a response to recent issues faced by veterans and people with disabilities when being served in bank branches. In particular, the tragic case of Ruslan Knysh, a 20-year-old veteran who lost all his limbs in the war, resonated widely in society. The man was unable to restore his bank card due to the lack of physical ability to hold it for identity verification. He was offered the alternative of granting power of attorney to a medical caretaker, but the veteran refused this option.
According to Pyshnyy, such situations are not isolated and pertain to the entire banking system. An analysis conducted showed that banks already have the necessary tools to avoid such cases, but the problem lies not only in formal norms but also in the culture of interaction with clients.
“We are conducting a review of internal procedures, maintaining contact with the NBU to ensure that the situation that occurred in our bank does not happen anywhere else. Additionally, we will conduct retraining for employees to prevent similar occurrences in the future,” the representatives of PrivatBank stated at that time.
New Requirements for Banks and NBU’s Future Plans
The National Bank has already begun preparing new supervisory tools. Starting in 2026, inspectors will check how effectively banks have implemented systems for managing inclusive service delivery. The focus of inspections will not only be on organizational structure or staff training but also on operational strategy, product and contract adaptation, as well as the removal of physical barriers in branches.
Leaders and supervisory boards of financial institutions must take special responsibility for these changes. Each bank is required to conduct a detailed analysis of its procedures, review approaches to client identification, implement alternative methods of identity verification, and create the most accessible conditions for all clients.
At the final stage of preparation, the National Bank plans to hold an open discussion of the new standards with representatives from the financial sector, civil organizations, the government, and international partners. A relevant roundtable is expected to take place at the beginning of next year to develop joint solutions.