PayPal is expanding its services to Ukrainian users and waiving fees to aid humanitarian operations in the country during Russia’s ongoing invasion. Ukrainians will be able to make and receive peer-to-peer PayPal or Xoom payments, and the company will not charge any fees on either side of the transaction, according to a news release (h/t CNN Business).
PayPal also claims to be allowing Ukrainians to transfer funds from their accounts to Mastercard and Visa cards. Citizens who have fled the country will be able to use these capabilities as well if they open a Ukrainian PayPal account. Ukrainians will be able to send and receive funds in US and Canadian dollars, as well as British pounds and Euros, according to the business. (The hryvnia is Ukraine’s official currency.)
PayPal confirmed to The Verge that, prior to the change taking effect on Thursday, Ukrainian clients could only send cross-border payments but not receive them. PayPal did not explicitly respond to why they were unable to accept money previously; instead, business spokesperson Tom Hunter stated that « functionality varies by market » depending on « a number of criteria. » According to a corporate post regarding its efforts in Ukraine, Ukrainian consumers were able to receive payments from friends and relatives in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe via PayPal’s cash pickup and prepaid mobile phone refill.
PayPal emphasizes that the improvements, including the elimination of fees, are only temporary – they are currently scheduled to be in force until June 30th, 2022. However, because the situation is « evolving, » PayPal says it reserves the right to make modifications but will post notices on its website if and when they do.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, has been actively reaching out to various internet businesses, pleading with them to assist Ukraine and cut off services to Russia. Before the corporation made the adjustment, he wrote to PayPal and asked them to expand their services in the country, according to a letter he released on Twitter.
Fedorov has also successfully solicited assistance from organizations such as SpaceX – he tweeted to Elon Musk, requesting that he supply Ukraine with Starlink satellite internet dishes, and a few days later, he uploaded an image of a truck full of the devices.
PayPal froze most of its services in Russia earlier this month, shortly after it ceased accepting new Russian users. (At the time, the business stated that it would « continue to try to process customer withdrawals for a period of time. ») Russian citizens’ access to other financial services, such as Apple and Google Pay, as well as the system that facilitates many foreign money transfers, has been hampered by international sanctions.
