Financial and Business News

Binance Users in Ukraine Pushed to Swift and P2P as Bifinity Halts Fiat Services

Tuesday, 30/12/2025 | 14:54 GMT by Jared Kirui
  • The exchange said users would still be able to deposit, withdraw, buy, and sell crypto without interruption as it transitioned away from Bifinity.
  • Zen.com deposits and withdrawals for the affected users are expected to restart next year.
Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance
Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance (Photo: Wikimedia)

Ukrainian crypto users who relied on Binance to move funds straight from exchange to bank cards now face a sudden gap in their withdrawal toolkit.

The platform has reportedly paused direct fiat payouts to Visa and Mastercard for affected customers, turning a technical change in payment partners into a new test of how resilient crypto off‑ramps really are under tightening regulation , local media outlet Minfin reported.

Binance notified Ukrainian users that it suspended withdrawals to Visa and Mastercard bank cards, with the pause tied to changes at its fiat provider Bifinity UAB. The exchange said the update applies only to users in Ukraine who previously used Bifinity, rather than to its wider global customer base.

What Exactly Has Changed

The pause affects several automated features around fiat flows. Local reports say recurring crypto purchases and existing fiat‑based limit buy orders will not execute during the suspension.

The disruption follows Binance’s December communication that Bifinity UAB would stop providing fiat services by the end of 2025 because of regulatory changes.

In that earlier notice, Binance said it would transition to other regulated providers and maintained that users would still be able to deposit, withdraw, buy, and sell crypto without interruption.

The Zen.com payment platform, often used for euro and Polish zloty transfers, has seen its full deposit and withdrawal functionality for these customers pushed back to an expected restart date of January 6, 2026.

Until then, users who want to move funds off the exchange must route transactions through Swift or rely on peer‑to‑peer trades where local rules allow.

What Still Works for Ukrainians

Despite the pause on card withdrawals, Binance continues to support several key on‑ramp options in Ukraine. Users can still top up accounts and buy crypto with Visa and Mastercard for incoming payments , even though they cannot send funds back out to those same cards.

Digital wallets remain part of the toolkit. Apple Pay and Google Pay stay available for account funding, and Swift transfers still handle both deposits and withdrawals, preserving a bank‑linked channel for fiat.

A recent Financial Times investigation, based on leaked internal data, reported that 13 linked accounts processed about 1.7 billion dollars in transactions from 2021, including roughly 144 million dollars after Binance’s 4.3 billion dollar criminal settlement with United States authorities in November 2023.

Those accounts reportedly showed red flags, including alleged ties to networks later accused of moving money for sanctioned actors, and unusual login patterns.

Ukrainian crypto users who relied on Binance to move funds straight from exchange to bank cards now face a sudden gap in their withdrawal toolkit.

The platform has reportedly paused direct fiat payouts to Visa and Mastercard for affected customers, turning a technical change in payment partners into a new test of how resilient crypto off‑ramps really are under tightening regulation , local media outlet Minfin reported.

Binance notified Ukrainian users that it suspended withdrawals to Visa and Mastercard bank cards, with the pause tied to changes at its fiat provider Bifinity UAB. The exchange said the update applies only to users in Ukraine who previously used Bifinity, rather than to its wider global customer base.

What Exactly Has Changed

The pause affects several automated features around fiat flows. Local reports say recurring crypto purchases and existing fiat‑based limit buy orders will not execute during the suspension.

The disruption follows Binance’s December communication that Bifinity UAB would stop providing fiat services by the end of 2025 because of regulatory changes.

In that earlier notice, Binance said it would transition to other regulated providers and maintained that users would still be able to deposit, withdraw, buy, and sell crypto without interruption.

The Zen.com payment platform, often used for euro and Polish zloty transfers, has seen its full deposit and withdrawal functionality for these customers pushed back to an expected restart date of January 6, 2026.

Until then, users who want to move funds off the exchange must route transactions through Swift or rely on peer‑to‑peer trades where local rules allow.

What Still Works for Ukrainians

Despite the pause on card withdrawals, Binance continues to support several key on‑ramp options in Ukraine. Users can still top up accounts and buy crypto with Visa and Mastercard for incoming payments , even though they cannot send funds back out to those same cards.

Digital wallets remain part of the toolkit. Apple Pay and Google Pay stay available for account funding, and Swift transfers still handle both deposits and withdrawals, preserving a bank‑linked channel for fiat.

A recent Financial Times investigation, based on leaked internal data, reported that 13 linked accounts processed about 1.7 billion dollars in transactions from 2021, including roughly 144 million dollars after Binance’s 4.3 billion dollar criminal settlement with United States authorities in November 2023.

Those accounts reportedly showed red flags, including alleged ties to networks later accused of moving money for sanctioned actors, and unusual login patterns.

About the Author: Jared Kirui
Jared Kirui
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Jared is an experienced financial journalist passionate about all things forex and CFDs.

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