The war in Ukraine has sparked an unfolding humanitarian crisis and is an extremely worrying time for those with family, friends or colleagues in the country. We want to respond in any way we can to this fast-moving situation and we have initiated a number of measures to support those impacted:
- We are refunding Bank of Ireland charges for customers sending money to family, friends or colleagues in Ukraine, backdated to 24 February;
- Our Vulnerable Customer Unit will support displaced Ukrainians who need banking services, including guidance on transferring assets and any other assistance. Bank of Ireland offers advice to customers about opening accounts in 18 languages currently, and will be translating these documents to Ukrainian. These will be updated to the Bank of Ireland Group website as soon as possible;
- As part of our initial response, we are donating €100,000 to UNICEF Ireland, as the charity works to deliver aid to people fleeing the conflict; and,
- The financial services sector also plays a very important role in sanctions and payments screening. Bank of Ireland is applying all enhanced international banking sanctions that have been introduced since the invasion commenced, and stands ready to do more as directed by the international regulatory and political response.
Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian people. We will continue to closely monitor unfolding events and add to our response.