The amount of cash Ukrainians are depositing at bank teller windows has increased: the NBU has cited the reasons
1 May 12:48
In Ukraine, cash inflows to bank teller windows for January–March 2026 totaled 749.8 billion hryvnias, a 5.2% increase compared to the same period in 2025.
This is stated in a report by the National Bank of Ukraine, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“The increase in cash inflows to bank tellers is due, in particular, to higher wages in the public sector and pensions (in March 2026), as well as improved economic activity in March thanks to the stabilization of the power grid and steady domestic consumer demand,” the statement reads.
Cash withdrawals from bank teller windows during this period were slightly lower than inflows, totaling 747.5 billion hryvnia. At the same time, they increased by 6.3% compared to the first quarter of 2025.
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Why Ukrainians used to keep more cash at home
At the same time, according to the NBU, the increase in the volume of hryvnia cash withdrawals from bank tellers in the first quarter of 2026 was influenced by risks associated with the intensification of airstrikes, the continued destruction of energy and other infrastructure, prolonged power outages, and other factors.
According to the NBU, traditionally in the first quarter of 2026, banks issued the largest amounts of cash from teller windows for (% of total expenditures):
▪️customer transactions using payment cards – 86%;
▪️purchases of foreign currency from customers – 4.1%;
▪️supplying postal operators – 3.4%.
Largest sources of cash inflows
According to the report, the largest sources of cash inflows to bank teller windows, as before, were (% of total inflows):
▪️retail sales proceeds – 30.3%;
▪️customer transactions using payment cards – 27%;
▪️proceeds from foreign currency sales – 17.8%;
▪️revenue from all types of services – 12.1%.
In January, the National Bank reported that money was not reaching banks: Ukrainians were stockpiling cash instead of keeping it in accounts. According to the NBU, Ukrainians’ cash holdings increased by 12.6% over the year. The regulator attributed the accumulation of cash outside the banking system to rising wages and slowing inflation.
At the time, the NBU noted that some Ukrainians were stockpiling cash due to risks associated with intense attacks on energy and other infrastructure.
According to the National Bank’s estimates, Ukrainians held 103.9 billion hryvnias in cash in January. This amounts to 64 banknotes and 193 coins per capita.
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