Ukrainian bank Izibank: account and bank transfers in hryvnias (UAH)
Izibank's history
One of the first so-called "banks without branches" in Ukraine was Monobank, which was part of the TAS group and operated under the license of Universal Bank. In 2020, Anna Tihipko, daughter of TAS Group owner Serhiy Tihipko, founded a new fintech startup called IziBank. In the same year, Monobank stopped cooperating with TAScombank.
The name reflects the essence of the bank: anyone can easily open a bank account without office visits and "paperwork" (izi is a distortion of the English word "easy", which means "easy"). As the founder, Anna Tigipko, herself stated, they strived to "make rather complicated financial issues simple" for their clients.
TAS Financial Group owns Izibank and operates under the license of TAScombank, one of the top ten systemically important and top twenty largest banks in Ukraine, with assets of UAH 32.4 million.
In fact, right after its launch, Izibank offered its clients more than 25 different services, including credit and deposit products and virtual and currency cards.
Financial indicators and ratings
In just two years after its launch, by October 2022, Izibank has already attracted about 280,000 customers, and its loan portfolio has reached UAH 900 million. This is a very modest figure compared to the largest banks in Ukraine, but one should also consider the growth rate, which many large banks are just lagging.
In 2022, Izibank received the FinAwards award, becoming a prize-winner in two nominations at once:
- Silver — "best deposit";
- Bronze — "best credit card".
However, the bank has not been assigned a rating, including stability — in this case, you can focus on the indicators of TASkombank with the rating uaAAA, which has been held since 2018.
Izibank services
- Remote account opening and banking services in the mobile application — without visiting offices;
- Deposits with replenishment option;
- Loans and instalments;
- Financial analytics;
- Issue of debit and credit cards, including virtual cards;
- International transfers via SWIFT/SEPA and IBAN;
- Money transfers, including to cards of other banks;
- Round-the-clock customer support in Telegram and Viber messengers;
- Analytics, which helps clients to manage their personal finances more efficiently;
- Payment for goods and services, utility payments;
- Cashbacks and affiliate programme.
How to open a bank account for a non-resident?
The official website of Izibank does not provide any information on whether non-residents can open an account with the bank.
To open an account, a resident must download the application from the App Store or Google Play and complete a simple registration procedure, providing passport details and TIN. You can also register in the application through the Diya service.
Advantages and disadvantages
Pros of Izibank:
- Participant of the fund for guaranteeing deposits of individuals;
- Credit cards with a limit of up to UAH 200 000 and a grace period of up to 62 days;
- No commissions on most transactions;
- 1% cashback on any purchases;
- 24-hour support service of the bank in messengers Telegram, Viber and Facebook.
Cons:
- Commissions for replenishment and cash withdrawal not from partner banks;
- Paid reissue of a plastic card costing UAH 50;
- Low interest on the card balance — only 5% per annum;
- You can deposit no more than UAH 5,000 in cash via ATM.
