"Ukrposhta" and the NBU will try to end the public conflict with the government's participation - Smilyanskyi
"Ukrposhta" and the National Bank have agreed to work out possible compromise solutions in the long-running conflict between the state company and the regulator. The government will join the negotiations, and until a separate meeting is held, the management of "Ukrposhta" will stop publicly commenting on the dispute with the NBU.
This was announced by "Ukrposhta" CEO Igor Smilyanskyi following a meeting of the parliamentary Committee on Transport and Infrastructure, which took place on September 16 and lasted more than seven hours.
The official agenda of the Committee provided for a separate consideration of two issues related to "Ukrposhta": disagreements with the NBU regarding the indication of an individual tax number on receipts for money transfer services and circumstances of the regulator's decision regarding Smilyanskyi's professional suitability.
According to the head of "Ukrposhta", at the initiative of the Prime Minister, a separate meeting of all interested parties should take place, at which they will try to resolve the contradictions between the company and the National Bank.
Until this meeting, "Ukrposhta" representatives will not publicly comment on the conflict. At the same time, the parties have to promptly work out the NBU's proposals with the participation of the parliamentary committee, the relevant ministry, the postal operator, and the regulator itself.
"I can express cautious optimism that this is possible", - stated Smilyanskyi, commenting on the prospect of reaching an agreement.
He also said that he is ready to "put aside personal emotions" for the sake of finding a solution, and further negotiations will take place privately for now.
The conflict has been going on for several months
One of the main reasons for the confrontation was the National Bank's decision of June 23. The regulator recognized Smilyanskyi as not meeting the requirements of professional suitability established for the head of a financial payment service provider.
The NBU demanded that the authorized body of "Ukrposhta" suspend Smilyanskyi from the company's management within five working days and thereafter appoint a new head.
The regulator explained that the administrative proceedings began back in November 2025 after supervisory measures regarding "Ukrposhta" activities in 2023-2026. According to the NBU's position, systemic violations were recorded in the company's work, and the decision regarding Smilyanskyi was the result of a standard procedure for assessing the professional suitability of the management of a payment services provider.
Smilyanskyi himself disagreed with the regulator's findings. "Ukrposhta" stated that he continues to perform the duties of CEO in accordance with the law. This week, Smilyanskyi also announced filing a lawsuit against the NBU demanding to overturn the decision on his non-compliance with professional suitability requirements.
"Ukrposhta Bank" also figured in the dispute
Another source of tension was "Ukrposhta"'s long-standing idea to obtain its own banking infrastructure to provide financial services through the network of post offices.
Smilyanskyi linked the decision regarding his professional suitability with the company's plans to develop a financial inclusion bank. The National Bank denied such a connection, stating that the decision concerned the results of supervision of "Ukrposhta" as a payment services provider, not the issue of a banking license.
A separate dispute arose between the parties regarding the formatting of receipts for payment services, in particular the necessity of indicating tax numbers and payment card details. After additional clarifications from the NBU, some practical issues were resolved, but the general conflict between the company management and the regulator remained.
Now the parties have to try to reconcile their positions with direct government participation. Smilyanskyi has not yet named a specific date for negotiations.
According to materials: Igor Smilyanskyi, Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on Transport and Infrastructure, NBU
