NBU refuted the fake about million expenses for the transition from kopecks to shags.

According to ТСН: The National Bank of Ukraine has refuted information that appeared on social networks and some media about significant state expenses for changing the name of the change coin from 'kopecks' to 'shags'. This was reported on the NBU's Telegram channel.

The institution emphasized that the procurement of equipment for destroying money, which became the basis for these manipulations, is actually part of the planned work and has nothing to do with the initiative to change the name of the coins.

Why the reform does not require additional funds

The NBU clarified that changing the name of the change coin to the domestic 'shag' will not require any additional expenditures from the state budget or funding from the regulator. All necessary production and organizational processes will be conducted within the already defined expenses for cash production.

Moreover, the National Bank does not intend to withdraw kopecks from circulation all at once. Coins with a denomination of '50 kopecks' and '50 shags' will be legal means of payment simultaneously, and their replacement will occur gradually as the old coins naturally wear out.

Why does the NBU buy new equipment

Rumors that the National Bank is supposedly purchasing equipment for destroying kopecks after the renaming are not true. As the NBU notes, the process of purchasing specialized Monea equipment (costing UAH 12.6 million) actually began back in 2024 for current disposal needs.

‘We emphasize that this is manipulation! Such information is not true. This purchase is in no way related to the initiative regarding shags. It concerns the ordinary operational activities of the NBU,’ the regulator's press service states.

They add that the need to update the equipment is due to the withdrawal of coins with denominations of 1, 2, 5, and 25 kopecks starting from 2019, as well as the beginning of the withdrawal of 10-kopeck coins from October 2025. Currently, about 800 tons of unusable coins have accumulated in storage, and the total volume of scrap will soon reach 1200 tons.

Economic benefits of disposal

According to the NBU, the old equipment of the Banknote and Coin Processing Plant works slowly: it would take more than nine years to destroy existing stocks. New equipment will handle it in four years, and the process is not only necessary but also profitable for the state.

‘The NBU must dispose of withdrawn coins by destroying the motifs and turning them into scrap. Such scrap is sold at specialized auctions. For instance, in 2025 alone, the National Bank's revenue from its sale amounted to about UAH 29.3 million,’ the regulator explains.

Experts believe that in the coming years, the sale of metal scrap could bring in up to UAH 153 million in revenue, which would be ten times higher than the expenses for purchasing new equipment, making the process economically advantageous for the budget.

What is known about 'shag'

Let us remind you that a draft law No. 14093 has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada, proposing to change the name of the change coin — kopecks. The Ukrainian change coin is proposed to be called 'shag'.

It was previously reported that the head of the National Bank, Andriy Pyshnyy, expressed hope that Ukraine would switch to shags instead of kopecks by September 2, 2026.

In Ukraine, coins with a denomination of 10 kopecks are gradually being withdrawn (starting from October 1, 2025), while coins with denominations of 1, 2, 5, and 25 kopecks have already been completely withdrawn from circulation. All these coins remain means of payment, but once they are deposited in banks, they no longer return to circulation.

The National Bank emphasizes that after the renaming, it does not plan to withdraw coins, but all kopecks will eventually leave circulation, which will subsequently help balance the coin circulation in Ukraine.