NBU’s Crypto Trustee Suspension Sets ’Negative Precedent for Entire Digital Asset Market’ in Ukraine

Ukraine's central bank just threw regulatory sand in the gears of crypto administration—sparking industry-wide alarm bells.

The Regulatory Backstep

National Bank of Ukraine partially suspended a key trustee's operations without clear procedural justification. Market participants call the move a dangerous overreach that could chill institutional adoption across Eastern Europe.

Domino Effect Concerns

Local exchanges report immediate compliance anxiety as the NBU bypasses standard consultation protocols. The decision creates legal uncertainty for custody solutions that were gaining traction among Ukrainian fintech firms.

Finance veterans note the irony: traditional banks freeze assets daily without scrutiny, but crypto gets the regulatory hammer at first sign of innovation—some things never change on Bankova Street.

What Happened?

On September 15, 2025, the NBU summarized the results of a nearly year-and-a-half-long audit. The regulator concluded that some of Trustee Plus’ P2P and euro transfer services contained signs of financial payment transactions and required a license. As a result, the National Bank demanded the company to partially suspend its operations until its activities are brought in line with Ukrainian legislation.

Trustee said that the regulator initially made claims on seven points, but five of them were removed. According to Grusha, the NBU unreasonably restricts P2P interactions between users and misinterprets the operation of euro balances.

He emphasized that customers’ assets are safe, and the service continues to operate in the EU within the framework of European legislation.

“We repeatedly tried to establish a constructive dialog with the NBU to consult and explain the peculiarities of Trustee Plus activities. We had a simple goal: to define a roadmap for product development in Ukraine. In response, we received a position from the NBU that “currently the National Bank has no authority to authorize cryptocurrency services/service providers in the field of virtual assets” due to the lack of a profile law in Ukraine,” said the CEO of Trustee.

The company also recalled that back in spring it suspended the registration of users from Ukraine. For existing clients, the terms of service remain unchanged, and all transactions with crypto-assets are not challenged by the regulator.

Especially for Incrypted Vadim Grusha commented on the situation:

“Separately, we WOULD like to emphasize: the NBU has not banned Trustee’s activities, but only objects to two points in the structure of its services, namely P2P and euro transfers. If you are a valid user residing in Ukraine and performing transactions with cryptocurrencies, there are no restrictions here. If it turns out that you somehow reside in Ukraine and have access to these services, they will be restricted until we prove our position to the regulator.

We will remind, in May 2025 it became known that Trustee Plus stopped opening accounts for Ukrainian users. The firm explained this by the lack of clear rules for regulating the industry and delays in considering the draft law on VIRTUAL assets.

Trustee representatives said that they decided to focus on the European direction, where there is a clear regulatory framework. At the same time, Ukrainians who are residents of the EU could continue to use the service without restrictions.

In July, some details of the situation emerged. In particular, Forbes Ukraine reported that the NBU’s interest in cryptocurrencies was one of the reasons for the suspension of Trustee’s services in Ukraine.

According to the media, the regulator feared the use of the company’s products to circumvent currency restrictions.

The company rejected suggestions of violations. Grusha stressed that the issuer of the cards is a licensed institution, and all transactions are conducted in euros and comply with EU norms. According to the head of the company, the cards do not contribute to the withdrawal of capital, but on the contrary provide an inflow of currency into the country when paying.

He also pointed out that it is the lack of regulation in Ukraine that allows the work of fintech services to be interpreted arbitrarily.

“The thesis that our card is allegedly created to circumvent currency control is a misinterpretation, which mainly arises due to incorrect use of marketing messages by users or arbitrary interpretation of product terms and conditions”, summarized Grusha.

A Precedent for the Market

The head of the company believes that the situation around Trustee Plus reflects a broader context — the lack of a full-fledged regulatory framework in Ukraine to regulate the industry. The inspection of the largest service may become a signal to other players about the impossibility of providing services in the Ukrainian market, said the entrepreneur.

According to him, further pressure on crypto firms without the adoption of specialized legislation jeopardizes the integration of the industry into the financial system of Ukraine.

“The NBU’s decision sets a negative precedent for the entire market, effectively banning P2P interactions between users,” Trustee CEO said.

Incrypted requested comments from the NBU representatives, but the regulator had not responded to the request at the time of writing.

Сообщение “Negative Precedent for the Entire Crypto Market”: NBU Partially Suspends Trustee in Ukraine появились сначала на INCRYPTED.