Available in every village: Ukrposhta has launched card payments throughout Ukraine
12 May 13:03
As of May 1, bank card payments have become available in 100% of Ukraine’s settlements. This is the first time this has happened in the country’s entire history of independence. Thiswas announced byIhor Smilianskyi, CEO of Ukrposhta, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“As of May 1, 2026, for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine, bank card payments have become available in 100% of Ukraine’s settlements. Yes, even in villages with just three residents or near the front lines, provided there is a signal. Why the silence for 11 days? We were quietly testing all the technology and waiting for the right date,” Smiliansky wrote.
As Smiliansky explained, this was made possible by the work of Ukrposhta’s mobile branches, equipped with POS terminals.
Currently, the network covers over 25,000 settlements, and more than 1,850 mobile branches are on the road every day. According to him, the Ukrposhta team was able to achieve what no bank in Ukraine had previously managed to do—ensure the ability to pay by card in all settlements across the country.
Smiliansky emphasized that the project was successfully implemented during the war without using budget or grant funds.
“And all of this was done without any state or even grant funds. Everything was paid for by Ukrposhta itself. Speaking of its own funds: we’ll be discussing Ukrposhta’s profits and capital as early as this week,” he wrote.
Regarding Ukrposhta’s plans
The next step will be the expansion of banking services, Smiliansky announced. By the end of June 2026, Ukrposhta plans to launch the ability to:
- withdraw cash;
- reload bank cards.
In addition, by the end of the year, they plan to equip every mail carrier with a mobile terminal. This will allow for card payments to be accepted in any city in Ukraine
“And by the end of the year, we will provide mobile devices to every mail carrier so that card payments can be accepted in any city in Ukraine, and people with disabilities can be served at home, no matter how harsh the coming winter may be. Isn’t that cool?” wrote the head of Ukrposhta.
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Plans for “Ukrposhta.Bank”
Smiliansky once again mentioned the creation of his own bank. He announced that the next important step will be to apply for a banking license for “Ukrposhta.Bank.”
“And finally, but no less important, will be the submission of an application for a banking license for ‘Ukrposhta.Bank.’ We simply cannot help but give Ukrainians and the NBU such an important gift very soon,” he wrote.
He noted that after launching its own bank, it will be possible to use bank cards even offline.
The conflict between “Ukrposhta” and the NBU
As a reminder, earlier, Ukrposhta CEO Ihor Smelyansky stated that the company is financially ready to establish its own bank, although this could take away some customers from the state-owned Oschadbank and PrivatBank.
In March, a conflict arose between the National Bank and Ukrposhta that could affect the launch of “Ukrposhta Bank.”
The NBU fined the company for failing to provide information regarding supervisory board meetings and pointed out issues with corporate governance.
The NBU also stated that CEO Ihor Smiliansky has overly broad powers within the company. Following this, Ukrposhta paid the fine, but Smiliansky called the sanctions unfair and claimed the company was under pressure.
In response, the National Bank emphasized that the postal operator lacks proper internal control and corporate governance mechanisms, and also accused the company’s management of attempting to discredit the regulator.
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