12:20 - 26.07.2024

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July 26, Fineko/abc.az. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has recorded a significant increase in the number of counterfeit hryvnia and foreign currency.

ABC.AZ informs with reference to the NBU that in the 1st half of 2024, 3.4 fakes accounted for 1 million genuine banknotes (62% more than in 2023).

The largest number of counterfeit banknotes was revealed in April and May, which experts attribute to the adaptation of counterfeiters to the conditions of martial law. At that time, the National Bank recorded a short-term surge in the activity of fraudsters who sought to test the effectiveness of the counteraction system.

The main objects of counterfeiting are banknotes with face value of 500 hryvnia of the 2006 sample and 200 hryvnia of 2007, which account for 90% of all detected counterfeits in the first six months of 2024. For comparison, in previous years this figure was 80%.

In addition, during this period, 1,200 counterfeit foreign currency banknotes were withdrawn from circulation, of which 95% were US dollars, mainly in denominations of $100.

The NBU noted that the sources of the growth of counterfeits of hryvnia and foreign currency have not yet been established, but the bank continues to work to identify and eliminate the causes of this phenomenon.