Nova Group — the parent structure of Nova Poshta and financial service NovaPay — is negotiating the purchase of BTA Bank, Ekonomichna Pravda reported citing its own sources. The goal: to create a financial inclusion bank (FIB) on its basis — an institution with a simplified license that provides basic access to banking services where none exist.

According to NBU data as of May 1, 2026, BTA Bank is the smallest in Ukraine: assets of 294.9 million hryvnias (of which 170 million are government securities), capital of 204.3 million hryvnias, only 640 individual clients with deposits totaling 25.9 million hryvnias. The bank has a single branch in Kyiv near the Nyvky metro station — which also serves as its headquarters. In 2025, the institution received net profit of 623 thousand hryvnias, but in the first four months of 2026 it posted a loss of 7.1 million hryvnias.

According to EP sources, Nova has already signed a memorandum with the bank providing for its subsequent purchase and transformation into an FIB. The deal is expected to be completed in August 2026. Meanwhile, the NBU, in response to the publication's request, confirmed: no official statements regarding acquisition of significant participation in BTA Bank from Nova Group have been received — meaning regulatory approval has not even begun. Nova Poshta itself declined to comment.

"Nova is currently considering several banks for acquisition to strengthen NovaPay's position"

Vyacheslav Klimov, co-owner of Nova Group, Forbes Ukraine, March 2026

BTA Bank remains owned by Kazakhstani businessman Kenes Rakishev through the Fincraft Group holding. The bank has been attempted to be sold since 2020: the Antimonopoly Committee then gave permission to transfer 50%+1 shares to other buyers, but the deal never materialized. According to Kazakhstani publication Kursiv.media, there is currently a preliminary agreement with entrepreneurs Vyacheslav Mishаlov and Dmitry Shevchuk — however, it too depends on NBU approval.

In parallel, Ukrposhta is competing for the status of the first financial inclusion bank, having announced in 2025 the launch of "Ukrposhta Bank" based on a special limited license. The NBU published a draft regulation: it will take effect on June 26, 2026, and the first applicants will be able to submit documents in summer 2026.

The deal is complicated by the regulatory history of NovaPay itself. In June 2025, the NBU fined the company 90.66 million hryvnias for violations in financial monitoring — insufficient client verification. In October 2025, another fine was added — 8 million hryvnias for violations of payment legislation. NovaPay is not appealing the fines and is obligated to address the violations by June 25, 2026.

• BTA Bank — smallest bank in Ukraine by assets and capital, 640 clients, 1 branch
• Memorandum signed, official statement to NBU not yet submitted
• Deal deadline — August 2026
• Competitor — Ukrposhta with its own postal bank project
• Risk — two NBU fines for NovaPay for financial monitoring in 2025

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the law on financial inclusion banks on June 3, 2025. According to the concept, such institutions should serve over 30% of Ukrainians — primarily in rural areas, frontline regions, and de-occupied territories, where conventional bank branches do not exist and will not appear for a long time.

If the NBU discovers during investor verification that unresolved financial monitoring violations by NovaPay represent a systemic problem rather than a technical one — will it approve the transfer of a banking license to a group that violated the same rules twice in a year?