The National Bank of Ukraine has issued into circulation a new commemorative coin called Barrier-Free Accessibility.
The coin was presented by NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyy at a meeting of the Business Without Barriers community held today with the participation of First Lady Olena Zelenska.
It was under First Lady Olena Zelenska’s Barrier-Free initiative that the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Ukraine was adopted in April 2021. This document has become a leitmotif for the beginning of the large-scale changes in Ukraine. It is designed to last until 2030 and envisages the removal of six types of barriers: physical, social, civil, digital, informational, educational, and economic.
Andriy Pyshnyy noted that the NBU, as a financial regulator, has taken the lead and united financial sector participants around an ambitious goal of creating the most inclusive financial system in the world.
“We simply have no choice but to build a society without barriers. After all, modern Ukraine is a country of heroes and veterans. Together we will definitely make it. The main thing is to implement the principles of equality and barrier-free accessibility in the financial system step by step, without stopping, every day. To celebrate Ukraine’s progress in building an inclusive society, we have created a special commemorative coin. We have dedicated this coin to the entire community that implements the barrier-free philosophy, builds a society without barriers where everyone, regardless of their age, gender, health, ethnicity, or social status, has equal opportunities for development and self-realization,” said Andriy Pyshnyy.
Coin Design
Obverse: in the center is a stylized image of a bird with an artificial mechanical wing (prosthesis), which symbolizes freedom, indomitable spirit, and the ability to manoeuver spaces without barriers.
Reverse: there are stylized images of different people united in a circle: parents, children, elderly people, wheelchair users, people with prosthetics, and pet owners. This composition symbolizes diversity and barrier-free accessibility, which stand for a united and inclusive society.
This coin was designed by artist Olga Dehtiariova.
Sales of the New Coin
The Barrier-Free Accessibility coin was issued into circulation on 23 December 2024. It has a face value of 5-hryvnias, and is made of nickel silver. The mintage of the coin is up to 30,000 units in souvenir packaging.
This coin will be sold through the NBU’s online numismatic store starting from 24 December 2024, as well as through distributing banks (the list of these banks can be found on the NBU’s official website). You can find more details about the starting date of sales on the official website of the NBU’s online numismatic store and on the official websites of the distributing banks.