Card Discontinues Its Partnership With Bifinity, Hitting Ukrainian Users Hard

Binance has confirmed a temporary suspension of Visa and Mastercard withdrawals which would hit Ukraine users hard after the exchange discontinued its partnership with former fiat payment partner Bifinity UAB in 2026. While the update will create a huge disruption for many users, the exchange reassures that its core activity remains fully operational.

Following the regulatory change, all direct withdrawals to Visa and Mastercard bank cards issued in Ukraine will be halted, as users would have to scramble to find another platform to move their funds from the exchange to their cards.

While the selling of crypto and instantly withdrawing proceeds to a bank card is no longer available , Binance stressed that this change does not interfere with trading activity or users’ ability to access their funds on the platform.

What still works — and what doesn’t

Despite the withdrawal pause, Binance says most fiat and crypto functions remain intact for Ukrainian users. Card-based deposits are still supported, allowing customers to buy crypto using Visa and Mastercard. Apple Pay and Google Pay also continue to function for account top-ups, preserving easy access for incoming funds.

Users can still withdraw funds via Swift bank transfers, and Binance’s peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace remains fully operational — a critical alternative for users seeking to move value off the exchange without relying on traditional card rails.

However, the transition has temporarily frozen some convenience features. Recurring crypto purchases and certain fiat-based limit buy orders are not being processed during the suspension period, according to local reports. Binance emphasized that these limitations are logistical rather than punitive and are expected to ease as new payment arrangements come online.

The update also affects Zen.com, a payment platform commonly used for euro and Polish zloty transactions. Binance said Zen’s full deposit and withdrawal services for Ukrainian users are expected to resume on Jan. 6, 2026, restoring another off-ramp option in the near term.

A localized disruption amid wider scrutiny

Binance was quick to clarify that the changes are not connected to the National Bank of Ukraine and do not signal new restrictions on crypto usage in the country. Instead, the suspension reflects the increasingly complex regulatory environment facing global exchanges as they adjust payment infrastructure across jurisdictions.

The timing, however, comes as Binance is once again under the spotlight. A recent Financial Times report alleged that the exchange allowed a group of linked accounts to process significant crypto flows even after its $4.3 billion U.S. settlement in 2023. Binance rejected the characterization, stating that all transactions were assessed using the information available at the time and that none of the wallets involved were sanctioned.

For Ukrainian users, the immediate takeaway is practical rather than political: card withdrawals are paused, but access to crypto markets is not. Trading, deposits, P2P activity and alternative withdrawal routes remain available, offering continuity even as Binance reshuffles its payment rails behind the scenes.

As regulatory pressure continues to reshape how exchanges interface with traditional finance, the episode highlights a broader reality of crypto adoption — access points may change, but the underlying rails are designed to keep moving.