State authorities may gain access to bank card numbers at the initiative of the National Bank of Ukraine, which proposes to amend the rules for disclosing banking secrecy. These changes will include disclosure of information on card numbers and other data related to payment instrument transactions.

According to the NBU's announcement, these amendments are intended to introduce and supplement the Rules for the Storage, Protection, Use and Disclosure of Bank Secrecy, previously approved by NBU Board Resolution No. 267 dated July 14, 2006.

The following is proposed:

• Adding to the list of information considered to be a banking secret that is subject to disclosure upon requests from government agencies;
• Clarification of the information that the NBU is entitled to request from banks for the Deposit Guarantee Fund;
• Clarification of the types of inspections during which banks are required to provide documents containing information considered to be bank secrecy.

According to the updated version of the Banking Secrecy Disclosure Rules, banks will be required to disclose information on the existence of accounts, account numbers, account balances, as well as information on unique identifiers and/or numbers of payment instruments (e.g., payment card numbers) of both counterparties to a transaction.

"The amendments are related to the need to bring the Rules for the storage, protection, use and disclosure of banking secrecy in line with Articles 62, 62-2 of the Law of Ukraine "On Banks and Banking Activities" and to improve the procedure for disclosing information constituting banking secrecy to the National Bank of Ukraine," the NBU said in a statement.

It is worth noting that earlier the head of the NBU Kateryna Rozhkova announced possible restrictions on card transfers for both businesses and individuals, but no final decision has been made.