The amount of cash in circulation in Ukraine from January through September 2026 increased by 5%, or 46.7 billion hryvnia, to 973 billion hryvnia, according to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
According to the regulator, cash was withdrawn from circulation in the first quarter, while demand for cash picked up in the second and third quarters, in line with traditional seasonal trends.
At the same time, the growth rate of cash volume slowed compared to the same period in 2025, when the increase over nine months was 8.2%.
An additional factor contributing to the increase in the volume of cash in the third quarter was the intensification of airstrikes on critical infrastructure, particularly in the energy, logistics, food, and telecommunications sectors.
As of October 1, 2026, there were 2.6 billion banknotes in circulation with a total value of 962.5 billion UAH, as well as 15.4 billion coins—excluding commemorative and investment coins—with a total value of 10.4 billion UAH.
Among banknotes, those with a denomination of 500 UAH accounted for the largest share by number—25.3%—while those with a denomination of 2,000 UAH accounted for the smallest share—0.01%. Since this denomination was first introduced into circulation on September 4, 400,000 such banknotes totaling 700 million UAH have entered circulation.
The highest growth rates over the first nine months of 2026 were recorded for 1,000-hryvnia banknotes and 10-hryvnia coins: their quantities in circulation increased by 12.1% and 19.1%, respectively.
Among coins in circulation, 1-hryvnia coins were the most numerous, while 5-hryvnia coins were the least: their shares accounted for 4.9% and 2.7%, respectively, of the total number of coins in circulation.
One year after the start of the gradual withdrawal of 10-kopeck coins from circulation, the NBU withdrew 7.8 million of them on October 1, 2025. As of October 1, 2026, they accounted for 26.7% of the total number of coins in circulation.
Coins with a denomination of 50 kopecks accounted for 9.1%, and demand for them from the retail and service sectors remained steady.
As previously reported, during the first half of 2026, the volume of cash in circulation increased by 4.8%, or 44.5 billion hryvnias, to 970.8 billion hryvnias.
banknote, CASH, HRYVNIA, NBU, UKRAINE
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