Overview of the foreign exchange market of Ukraine in the conditions of martial law

Abstract

The paper examines the peculiarities of the functioning of the currency market of Ukraine in the conditions of martial law and takes into account the aspect of economic and political components. The data of the study of the currency market of Ukraine during the war period are presented and their content is analyzed. The causes and factors influencing the formation and activity of the foreign exchange market are identified, and proposals are given for carrying out stabilization measures and minimizing currency risks in conditions of stress and uncertainty caused by the war. The main elements of the NBU's regulatory easing policy on the currency market of Ukraine in wartime conditions are outlined. One of the first steps taken by the National Bank of Ukraine in times of macroeconomic and military-political instability were the measures of strict currency regulation aimed at minimizing currency risks. In order to maintain financial stability, the NBU had to introduce strict currency restrictions and fix the exchange rate of the hryvnia to the US dollar. Such administrative intervention helped to balance the foreign exchange market in conditions where it would have been impossible to do so by market methods. The temporary fixation of the exchange rate, strict restrictions on currency transactions, restrictions on withdrawals from currency accounts and other measures became a reliable basis for stabilizing both the currency market and the financial system of Ukraine. Of course, administrative restrictions smooth out temporary distortions in the foreign exchange market, but over time they can lead to the accumulation of imbalances, since the market mechanism of balancing the demand and supply of currency in search of exchange rate equilibrium ceases to operate, which sooner or later can lead to or to sudden major crises, or to endless stagnation. Therefore, long-term regulation of the foreign exchange market by strict administrative measures can have negative consequences. This prompted the NBU, in accordance with the new strategy of gradually abandoning the fixed exchange rate of the hryvnia, to switch to the strategy of easing currency restrictions and returning to flexible exchange rate formation and targeting. This strategy is one of the structural beacons of the memorandum with the IMF, which will determine the sequence of steps to liberalize currency restrictions and return to a more flexible exchange rate regime. If such mitigations are not made even in the conditions of a brutal war, the consequences for the country's financial system and the functioning of business can be negative.