Ukrainian lawmakers propose cryptocurrency reserve for central bank
Ukrainian lawmakers registered Bill 13356 to allow Ukraine’s National Bank (NBU) to include virtual assets in the country’s gold and foreign exchange reserves, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported on Telegram on June 11.
The bill, initiated by MPs Zheleznyak, Maksym Khlapuk, and Yaroslav Yurchyshyn of the Golos faction, along with Oleksiy Zhmerenetskyi, Maksym Buzhanskyi, Pavlo Frolov, Ivan Yunakov, and Anton Shvachko from the Servant of the People faction, aims to integrate Ukraine into global financial innovations.
The text of the bill is not yet available on the Verkhovna Rada’s website.
Zheleznyak, in a Telegram post, clarified that the central bank would not be obligated to use virtual assets but could decide independently on their volume and timing.
“This step integrates Ukraine into global financial innovations,” he wrote. “Proper management of crypto reserves will strengthen macroeconomic stability and create new opportunities for the digital economy.”
He noted that countries like the United States, El Salvador, China, Switzerland, Brazil, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and some EU nations have adopted similar strategies, with China reportedly raising $20 billion through Bitcoin.
“This is important for Ukraine because we have a strong cryptocurrency business case, amplified by the war, as crypto adoption has grown, allowing people to move capital freely, protect against inflation, send money to families, or donate without restrictions,” said Kyrylo Khomiakov, Binance’s regional head for Ukraine, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Africa, in a YouTube video explainer posted by Zheleznyak.
Khomiakov highlighted Ukraine’s advantages in education, IT expertise, geographic position, and high cryptocurrency penetration for investment.
He noted Binance supports the bill but stressed the need to clarify funding sources, ownership, and the specific cryptocurrencies to be included.
Earlier, Danil Getmantsev, head of the Verkhovna Rada’s Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy Committee, said cryptocurrency legalization in Ukraine was likely in Q1 2025, though without tax incentives.
On April 14, 2025, the National Securities and Stock Market Commission rejected Getmantsev’s crypto bill.
On May 24, Zheleznyak discussed the potential for a crypto reserve.
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