EBRD and National Bank of Ukraine pledge support for war veterans

On 9 April, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) signed an agreement aiming to make the financial sector more accessible to war veterans.

Under the agreement, the EBRD and NBU will support financial institutions across Ukraine to adopt standards set out in a charter designed to make banks more accessible to hundreds of thousands of veterans, both as clients and employees. So far, 27 banks have signed up.

The aim of the charter is for participating banks to formally mark a commitment to take action to support veterans’ reintegration into civilian life as they retire from active military duty. The charter encourages signatory companies to make financial services easier for veterans to access and use; to invest in accessibility technology to modify workplaces for veterans; to ensure spaces are risk-free for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder; and to introduce veteran-friendly, inclusive, human resources policies and practices.

“With close to 880,000 people directly participating in military operations as of January 2024, we need bold, collective, and scalable approaches that can benefit many more people across the country,” the EBRD’s Managing Director for Financial Institutions, Francis Malige, said.

The signing took place at the Kyiv veterans’ reintegration conference, organised by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the National Bank of Ukraine, the EBRD, and other partners.

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Press release