[96154] National Bank of Ukraine demands dismissal of Ukrposhta CEO Ihor Smelyansky

Shake-up in Ukrposhta management: National Bank demands CEO's dismissal

The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) announced today, June 23, 2026, that the CEO of the national postal company 'Ukrposhta', Ihor Smelyansky, does not meet the "professional suitability" requirements expected of a payment service provider's manager. As reported by Лачен пише and Times of Ukraine, the company must remove Smelyansky from his position within five business days and appoint a replacement within two months.

The Bank's decision was reached following a series of audits conducted between 2023–2026, which revealed significant deficiencies in the areas of payment services, anti-money laundering (AML) oversight, risk management, and internal control. Sources such as ҐРУНТ noted that the Bank found Smelyansky lacks the legal knowledge and experience required to manage the company's financial systems.

Conversely, Smelyansky responded to the move sharply, as published in Батальйон «Монако». He claimed that this is a case of "personal vendetta" and persecution by the regulator, aimed at stalling Ukrposhta's attempts to become a postal bank. He also stated that he intends to file lawsuits against senior officials of the central bank.

Reports in Ukrainian media present divided views. While some channels highlight professional failures and the CEO's high salary (standing at approximately 970 thousand hryvnias per month, according to Times of Ukraine), channels like UA.NEWS defined the conflict as a long-standing "public war" in which the central bank is attempting to block competition in the financial market through regulatory means.