Forex trading is legal in Ukraine under a modern regulatory framework established by the Law of Ukraine on Currency and Currency Operations. This legislation was introduced in 2019 to overhaul outdated regulations and align Ukraine's currency market with European Union standards, providing greater market functionality and transparency for retail traders (1). The law guarantees freedom of currency operations, allowing residents to open accounts with foreign financial institutions and conduct transactions in both domestic and foreign currencies, subject to certain restrictions.
The National Bank of Ukraine serves as the primary regulatory authority for forex trading, while the National Securities and Stock Market Commission oversees capital markets and organized commodity markets. Within its legislatively defined powers, the NSSMC performs state regulation and oversight of activities in capital markets and organized commodity markets, ensuring their proper and efficient functioning (2). The NBU sets rules for trading foreign currency and investment metals on Ukraine's forex market, while the NSSMC regulates financial instruments that intersect with currency trading, such as forex CFDs and derivatives.
"The purpose of the NSSMC is to provide money capital to meet the needs of the country's economy by creating a mechanism for accumulating, distributing and redistributing investment resources."
Due to the ongoing conflict, Ukraine has implemented temporary currency restrictions since February 2022 to prevent capital outflow, though these measures are gradually being eased. Currency supervision in Ukraine is performed by currency supervision authorities and currency supervision agents to verify compliance of currency operations with currency legislation, taking into account a risk-based approach (1). Despite wartime restrictions, Ukrainian residents can access international forex brokers and engage in online forex trading, with the regulatory environment continuing to improve in transparency and trader protections as the country works toward European integration standards.
Source:
https://bank.gov.ua/admin_uploads/law/Law_Currency_eng.pdf?v=4
https://www.nssmc.gov.ua/en/about-us/about-us/
Last updated: 15-10-2025 Disclaimer: This article does not provide legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
