---
title: "Banks are now authorized to assist clients with documentation: how the NBU changed verification rules"
description: "The NBU has simplified access to banking services for people with disabilities. Now, an accompanying person can present documents, and consent can be recorded via video. The decision was made following an incident involving a veteran at PrivatBank 🇺🇦💳"
date: 2026-07-17T08:50:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/banks-authorized-to-assist-clients-with-documentation-how-the-nbu-changed-verification-rules
tags: [nbu, ukraine, financial-inclusion, privatbank]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Banks are now authorized to assist clients with documentation: how the NBU changed verification rules

![Bank cards and Ukrainian hryvnia: NBU allowed banks to help clients with documents for verification](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/17/nbu-izmenil-pravila-identifikatsii-klientov-bankov/nbu-izmenil-pravila-identifikatsii-klientov-bankov-1.webp)

Important changes to banking legislation have come into force in Ukraine, aimed at simplifying access to financial services for vulnerable segments of the population. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has officially allowed banks to use additional methods of client identification and verification if clients are physically unable to complete standard procedures independently.

The new rules, which came into effect on July 17, are a direct response from the regulator to acute social problems faced by people with disabilities when interacting with the financial system.

### Who can assist a client at a bank branch?

The essence of the innovation lies in expanding the circle of persons authorized to confirm a client's identity. According to the updated regulations, the original identity document can now be presented not only by the account holder themselves, but also by:

    - An accompanying person;

    - A person of trust (proxy holder);

    - A bank employee conducting the verification procedure.

This decision removes barriers for citizens who, due to their health condition or physical limitations, cannot hold documents in their hands or present them to the teller independently.

### Audio and video recording instead of a signature

The NBU has also modernized the procedure for recording client consent. Previously, a handwritten or electronic signature was required to confirm actions. Now, if a person is physically unable to sign, the bank has the right to record their consent via audio or video recording. This allows operations to be completed legally and transparently, even if the client cannot use standard confirmation tools.

### Financial inclusion and commercial agents

The changes also affect financial inclusion mechanisms. Banks have been granted the right to engage commercial agents to perform key functions: establishing the beneficiary of a transaction, as well as conducting client identification and verification. This should help expand the geography of service and make banking services more accessible in remote regions.

The National Bank emphasizes that the updated rules were developed taking into account the real needs of citizens and are aimed at developing an inclusive financial system in the country.

### The reason for the changes: a story involving a veteran

The regulator's decision was a reaction to a high-profile incident that occurred at a PrivatBank branch. A war veteran with limb amputations faced a refusal to issue a new bank card due to the inability to pass the standard verification procedure. This case showed that existing regulations did not account for the needs of people with disabilities, which served as the impetus for the rapid change of rules.