Ukraine has restricted transactions involving securities issued by foreign entities.

The National Securities and Stock Market Commission has prohibited the withdrawal of securities from foreign issuers from the depository accounting system during the period of martial law. This information is reported on the commission's website.

The ban includes two exceptions:

• corporate actions by the issuer;
• bringing the number of securities in line with the data from international depositories.

The regulation will come into effect on January 1, 2025.

The basis for this decision was agreements with the International Monetary Fund to ensure the stability of capital markets.

The text of the memorandum between Ukraine and the IMF, updated as part of the sixth review, states that the NSSMC, in cooperation with the National Bank, must take measures to harmonize capital flow rules to align them with the regulations applicable to banking operations.

"Over the past eight months, the commission has held numerous meetings as part of the negotiation process with the IMF and the NBU to find a satisfactory solution for capital markets. We have made significant efforts, and today's decision is a compromise, as the issue of a complete ban on the admission and trading of securities from foreign issuers in Ukraine was on the agenda," said NSSMC member Irakli Baramia.

The prohibition on the withdrawal of foreign securities aligns the regulatory approaches of the NSSMC and the NBU, creating unified rules for all types of transactions.