NBU warned Ukrainians: which banknotes are most often counterfeited.

The level of banknote counterfeiting has increased, but it does not threaten the economy

The National Bank of Ukraine reported a moderate increase in the level of counterfeiting of national currency banknotes in 2024. However, this situation does not pose a threat to the country's economy.

According to official data, in 2024, there were 5.1 counterfeit banknotes for every one million genuine hryvnia banknotes, which is lower than in 2021 (7.1). In European Union countries, the situation is even worse: there are about 16 counterfeited banknotes for every one million genuine euro banknotes.

The increase in the activity of counterfeiters is explained by their adaptation to the conditions of martial law and attempts to test the effectiveness of the banking and law enforcement systems. The most frequently counterfeited banknotes were those with a denomination of 500 hryvnias, which accounted for 78% of all seized counterfeits, and 200 hryvnias - 18%. Other denominations accounted for only 4% of the counterfeits.

It is important to note that most of the counterfeit banknotes are of the old design. Banknotes of the new design make up only 5.5% of the total number of discovered counterfeits.

In terms of foreign currency, among the discovered counterfeits, US dollars prevail - 93%. The most frequently counterfeited banknotes were those with a denomination of 100 and 50 dollars. Only 7% of counterfeits were euros, among which the most popular denominations for counterfeiting were 200, 100, and 50 euros.

The National Bank is actively cooperating with law enforcement agencies to combat the spread of counterfeit currency. In particular, joint work is underway with the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine, the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine, and expert institutions of relevant ministries.

Citizens can contact banks for free expertise if they have doubts about the authenticity of banknotes. Genuine money is returned to owners, while counterfeits are confiscated without compensation for their value and handed over to law enforcement agencies for further investigation.

To protect themselves from counterfeit banknotes, the NBU recommends conducting currency exchange operations through licensed exchange offices and carefully checking the security features of banknotes. Each hryvnia banknote has more than 20 security elements.