President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has submitted draft law No. 16013 to the Verkhovna Rada, proposing specific liability for unlawful acts involving payment instruments and bank accounts, in particular the handing over of a card for use in fraud by others. The bill was registered on 2 September, and the President has designated it as urgent; it is currently being considered by the relevant parliamentary committee.
Briefly about the main points
- A fine of 5,100–17,000 UAH is proposed for handing over a card to others for fraudulent purposes.
- Using other people’s cards and bank details can result in a prison sentence of up to six years.
- Repeated or collective offences may be punishable by imprisonment for a term of up to eight years.
- Over 23 billion hryvnias have passed through drop accounts over the past seven months.
- The new sanctions will not come into force until Parliament has passed the bill.
The initiative proposes introducing a specific liability for granting access
The bill aims to protect citizens’ funds from unlawful acts involving payment instruments and bank accounts. The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement has been designated as the lead committee for its consideration.
Until now, there has been no specific liability for the mere transfer of a bank card or access to an account. Penalties were mainly imposed for the consequences of schemes in which such accounts and details were used.
What penalties does the draft bill propose?
Passing on a card or account access to others for fraudulent purposes is punishable by a fine of between 5,100 and 17,000 UAH. The purchase, possession or sale of other people’s cards and bank details may be punishable by a fine of between 51,000 and 170,000 UAH or imprisonment for a term of between two and six years.
If. transactions using other people’s cards If the offence is committed repeatedly or by a group, the proposed penalty is between five and eight years’ imprisonment. The draft law provides for up to four years’ imprisonment for the forgery of payment instructions.
The proposal is to punish the theft of bank cards or unauthorised access to a bank account with a prison sentence of up to five years. For offences committed as part of a group, the maximum sentence will be six years.
Over 23 billion hryvnia has passed through drop accounts in seven months
A «drop», or ‘money mule’, is a person who, in return for payment, grants others access to their card, bank account or online banking. Such accounts can be used as an intermediary to transfer funds and conceal their origin.
In the first seven months of 2026, more than 23 billion hryvnias passed through drop accounts. Around 14,000 Ukrainians are suspected of being involved in money laundering.
The tabling of the bill does not mean that the proposed sanctions will be introduced immediately. The bill must undergo parliamentary scrutiny, be passed, signed and officially published.
