Ukraine puts a new 2,000-hryvnia banknote featuring Vasyl Stus into circulation: what is known

On Friday, 4 September 2026, the National Bank of Ukraine put into cash circulation a banknote of a new highest denomination — 2,000 hryvnia. This is the first step in recent years to expand the banknote series: the previous highest denomination of 1,000 hryvnia was issued in 2019. The obverse of the note features a portrait of the Ukrainian poet, dissident and Hero of Ukraine Vasyl Stus, as well as the signature of the current head of the NBU, Andrii Pyshnyi. The regulator began handing over the new banknotes to financial institutions precisely on 4 September, so banks can from today receive the notes from the NBU and issue them to customers through their cash desks.

What is depicted on the new note

The obverse of the banknote is dedicated to Vasyl Stus — a Ukrainian poet of the Sixties, dissident and Hero of Ukraine. The reverse features the building of the Faculty of Philology of Donetsk National University, where the poet studied and which now bears his name. According to the National Bank, the choice of figure was developed jointly with the Institute of National Memory and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine: Stus, as a figure of the 20th century and a symbol of indomitable spirit, fits into the banknote series concept "from the past to the present." The NBU also emphasized the symbolism of the chosen date for putting the note into circulation.

Record security features

The note is equipped with more than 20 security features. Among them is the "window" Anima Colour security strip in a blue-and-yellow color scheme: the 2,000-hryvnia banknote became the first in the world to use this technology. When the angle of inclination changes, a dynamic effect appears on the strip, and the image of the trident changes into the hryvnia symbol. The optically variable SPARK element has also been retained, which changes color from purple to golden-green when rotated. The combination of such solutions is intended to increase the difficulty of counterfeiting the new denomination.

Economic reasons for the issue

The National Bank explains the introduction of the new denomination by a combination of economic factors. Over the past seven years, the average salary in Ukraine has grown roughly threefold, while prices have doubled: if in 2019 it took 10 banknotes of 1,000 hryvnia to obtain the average salary, now more than 30 such notes are required. The share of 1,000-hryvnia banknotes in the total cash volume has exceeded 55%, which in global central bank practice is considered a direct signal to issue a higher denomination. The total volume of cash in circulation has grown from 390 billion hryvnia in 2019 to more than 970 billion hryvnia as of July 2026, partly due to the needs of wartime and frontline regions.

Can you already get 2,000 hryvnia at a bank

Yes: the NBU began supplying the new banknotes to financial institutions on 4 September, and banks can already receive the notes from the regulator and issue them to customers through their cash desks. As for the full appearance of the 2,000-hryvnia note in ATMs and terminals, the NBU noted that the banknote was presented two months ago — on 10 July — giving banks the technical opportunity to reconfigure their equipment for sorting and dispensing the new money at no cost. The regulator emphasizes that the issue of the 2,000-hryvnia note is not linked to "money printing" and will not lead to higher inflation or fluctuations in the foreign exchange market: the new banknotes enter circulation exclusively in exchange for non-cash funds or in place of worn-out notes of other denominations, and the first batch consists of several million units.