Sending money from the United States to Ukraine: the payments stack
Sending USD 200 from the United States to Ukraine cost 4.45% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 20 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Ukraine typically run over SEP (System of Electronic Payments), SEP instant credit transfer; between now and the end of 2027 there are 12 weekdays when banks in the United States are closed but Ukraine keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 4.45% of USD 200 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 4.45% across 20 services |
| Collect in United States | FedNow Service, FedNow network limit, RTP network, Fedwire Funds Service, FedACH and Same Day ACH, Same Day ACH limit |
| Pay out in Ukraine | SEP (System of Electronic Payments), SEP instant credit transfer |
What it costs to send USD 200
The World Bank surveyed 20 services sending from the United States to Ukraine from 13 August 2025 to 26 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 4.45% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 4.45%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: the United States
- With few exceptions, each money services business must register with the US Treasury through FinCEN by filing FinCEN Form 107 within 180 days of being established, and must renew the registration every two years; a business that is an MSB only because it acts as agent of another MSB does not register. source
- Money transmission is also licensed state by state. As of September 2026, 31 states have enacted the CSBS Money Transmission Modernization Act in full or in part, and money transmitters licensed in at least one adopting state account for 99% of reported money transmission activity. source
- The Money Transmission Modernization Act sets a minimum tangible net worth of the greater of US$100,000 or 3% of total assets for the first US$100 million, 2% of assets from US$100 million to US$1 billion and 0.5% of assets above US$1 billion, and encourages states to run licensing, surety bonds and reporting through NMLS. source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from the United States.
The payout side: Ukraine
| Payout partner | What it does in Ukraine | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Thunes · our guide | Its Direct Global Network page lists Ukraine for payouts to bank accounts and cards. | source |
| TerraPay · our guide | Its network page lists Ukraine (UAH) for bank and card payouts. | source |
| Rapyd · our guide | The ua_local_bank payout method pays UAH into Ukrainian bank accounts for cross-border payouts, including mass payouts by SFTP file. | source |
| Nium · our guide | Sends SWIFT wires in USD, EUR, GBP and other currencies to all SWIFT-enabled banks in Ukraine, same day subject to a 07:30 UTC cut-off; it does not process payments to Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk or Sevastopol. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Ukraine: launching payments in Ukraine.
Payout rails in Ukraine
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEP (System of Electronic Payments) | National Bank of Ukraine | RTGS system for hryvnia settlements between banks and their clients, running 24/7 without pausing and with an instant switch to the next calendar day; it carries over 99% of interbank payments. | source |
| SEP instant credit transfer | National Bank of Ukraine | Available in SEP 4.1 since December 2024, it credits the payee's account immediately at any time of day, with funds usable after a transaction completed within 10 seconds; it is built on ISO 20022 and the SEPA scheme. | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 12 dates when the United States is closed and Ukraine is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them.
| Date | United States | Ukraine | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 11 Nov 2026 | Veterans Day | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Thu 26 Nov 2026 | Thanksgiving Day | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 18 Jan 2027 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 15 Feb 2027 | Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day) | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 31 May 2027 | Memorial Day | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 5 Jul 2027 | Independence Day (observed) | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 6 Sep 2027 | Labor Day | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 11 Oct 2027 | Columbus Day | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Thu 11 Nov 2027 | Veterans Day | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Thu 25 Nov 2027 | Thanksgiving Day | Open | Prefund Ukraine the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
Full calendars: United States and Ukraine. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- Fedwire does not run on Saturdays, Sundays or Federal Reserve holidays; the Monday business day opens at 9:00 p.m. ET on Sunday and every business day closes at 7:00 p.m. ET, with customer transfers cut off at 6:45 p.m. ET. source
- Federal Reserve holidays in the rest of 2026 are Veterans Day (11 November), Thanksgiving (26 November) and Christmas (Friday 25 December); in 2027, Juneteenth (19 June) and Christmas (25 December) fall on Saturdays, so the Reserve Banks open on the Friday before. source
- Resolution No. 18 bars authorised institutions from cross-border transfers of funds out of Ukraine, including to correspondent accounts of non-resident banks, except for listed transactions; banks' own transactions, including settlements with international payment systems, are among the exceptions. source
- Since 17 September 2026 non-bank payment service providers can credit hryvnia to individuals' payment accounts from foreign-currency transfers initiated abroad, through card schemes or direct account transfers such as SWIFT, after converting the funds. source
- SEP worked 24/7 through the year end, including 31 December 2025 and 1 January 2026, with the FX market and other NBU systems operating normally on those days. source
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in United States, the payout partners and banks in Ukraine and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Ukraine balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from the United States to Ukraine?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending USD 200 at 4.45% in Q3 2025, across 20 services. Money transfer operators averaged 4.45%.
Which rails pay out in Ukraine?
Local payouts run over SEP (System of Electronic Payments), SEP instant credit transfer.
When do I need to prefund Ukraine payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 12 weekdays when the United States is closed and Ukraine is open, the first on Wed 11 Nov 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- Holiday Schedules (Federal Reserve Banks, 2026 to 2030, plus FedACH holiday processing) · Federal Reserve Financial Services
- Fedwire Funds Service and National Settlement Service Operating Hours · Federal Reserve Financial Services
- Labour Code of Ukraine (Articles 67 and 73) · Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
- Calendar of official holidays in Ukraine (2027) · Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.
About Polynopsis
Polynopsis is liquidity management software for cross-border payment companies. The name joins poly, many, and synopsis, a seeing together: one live view of money spread across many banks, payout partners, exchanges and stablecoin wallets, including money in flight, with a warning before any corridor runs dry.
Why it is called Polynopsis · About Polynopsis · Glossary · Corridor runway calculator