Ukraine’s central bank has announced plans to release a new 2,000-hryvnia bill, which will be its largest denomination, in a bid to ease cash transactions as the war drives up inflation and disrupts banks and electronic payments.
War-Driven Demand for Cash
The blue banknote, currently worth about $45 and featuring a portrait of Soviet-era Ukrainian poet and dissident Vasyl Stus, will go into circulation on September 4, Central Bank Governor Andriy Pyshnyi said. The war with Russia, now in its fifth year, has devastated Ukraine’s economy, with millions fleeing the fighting, cities and infrastructure bombed, and exports, supply chains, and logistics disrupted.
Easy access to cash is particularly important in Ukraine’s frontline regions. The volume of cash in circulation grew to 970 billion hryvnias at the start of July 2026, compared with about 390 billion hryvnias in 2019 when the 1,000 banknote was introduced.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
