The NBU invited Oleksiy Stupak, the head of Sens Bank, to an interview to assess his professional suitability
The National Bank of Ukraine has summoned Oleksiy Stupak, chairman of the board of the state-owned Sens Bank, to a meeting of the qualification commission on August 26. The interview will take place as part of administrative proceedings regarding his professional suitability, said NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyy.
The NBU also supports the government’s initiative to suspend Stupak from his position as chairman of the bank’s board for the duration of the internal investigation. Pyshnyy emphasized that, in accordance with the law, such authority rests with the bank’s owner (the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine—IF-U).
“As a result of enhanced supervision by the National Bank, signs were discovered of a hidden management structure at the bank prior to nationalization, established by representatives of former shareholders subject to sanctions,” Pyshnyy stated.
According to him, given Stupak’s possible involvement in collegial decision-making, the regulator has opened administrative proceedings against him.
Based on new materials released by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the National Bank also decided to conduct unscheduled inspections.
Separately, Pyshnyy reported that the National Bank’s Committee on Banking Supervision found that Mykola Hladyshenko, chairman of Sens Bank’s supervisory board, does not meet the requirements for independence. The regulator is demanding that the government, as a shareholder, immediately terminate his powers and elect a new member to the supervisory board.
According to the central bank’s assessment, the materials published by NABU contain facts confirming that Hladyshenko received and carried out instructions from third parties, which gave the regulator sufficient grounds for this decision.
The NBU has also opened administrative proceedings to assess the collective suitability of the entire composition of Sens Bank’s supervisory board. According to Pyshny, the materials released by NABU provide grounds to believe that Gladyshenko’s self-recusal was merely a formality and that he in fact continued to influence the bank’s operations, while the supervisory board failed to respond appropriately.
The NBU initiated a review of Gladyshenko’s compliance with independence requirements back in May 2026, following the release of the first part of the so-called “Mindich tapes.” The regulator twice requested that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) provide materials from the pre-trial investigation, but law enforcement agencies did not disclose them due to restrictions related to the confidentiality of the pre-trial investigation.
Separately, the NBU governor noted that Sense Bank’s supervisory board currently lacks a quorum and is not authorized to act. The regulator emphasizes the need to complete the board’s composition by appointing state representatives from the Cabinet of Ministers and the relevant Verkhovna Rada committee.
JSC “Sens Bank” appears in the “Forest Gump” case files as one of the channels through which funds were transferred in connection with the payment of a 150 million hryvnia bail bond for former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. This was reported on August 19 by People’s Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak, who disclosed details from the investigation materials.
Danylo Getmantsev, chairman of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax, and customs policy, categorically denied any involvement in attempts to gain control over Sens Bank or in the new criminal proceedings by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
