Verkhovna Rada passes law increasing criminal penalties for payment-card and account 'drop' schemes
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What happened
The Verkhovna Rada adopted legislation that tightens criminal liability for schemes using 'drops' to transfer or provide payment instruments, account access, or wallet credentials for fraudulent activity.
Why it matters
The law changes the legal framework for payment fraud enforcement and may affect how banks, payment institutions, and investigators identify and act on mule-account networks. It also gives regulators and market participants a new compliance reference point for customer monitoring, suspicious-activity controls, and cooperation with law enforcement.
The Verkhovna Rada approved a law that increases criminal liability for so-called 'drop' schemes involving the fraudulent use or transfer of payment instruments, access to bank accounts, and digital wallet credentials. The measure is aimed at account-mule infrastructure used in fraud and illicit payments. For Ukraine's finance authorities and banking supervisors, the law creates a new enforcement basis that may require rapid coordination with banks, payment providers, and law-enforcement agencies on implementation.
Watch for
President of Ukraine signing or returning the law after parliamentary passage by 2026-11-01 National Bank of Ukraine statement by 2026-11-01 on supervisory or compliance expectations for banks and payment institutions under the new law Verkhovna Rada publication of the adopted law text and final bill card status update in the parliamentary database by 2026-10-31 National Police of Ukraine or Bureau of Economic Security announcement by 2026-11-01 of enforcement guidance or casework tied to 'drop' schemes under the amended liability regime
Sources
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