Payment chaos: PrivatBank glitch leaves customers stranded
Ukrainian bank customers faced widespread payment issues and
ATM outages caused by a system failure, PrivatBank confirmed
on March 9.
Social media was flooded with complaints as users described
long delays when trying to make payments and reported being unable to pay in
stores or other businesses.
PrivatBank’s press service acknowledged the issue in
response to customer complaints, explaining that some transactions might face
delays.
“Our specialists are already working to resolve the issue.
We apologize for the temporary inconvenience,” PrivatBank said in a statement.
The issue wasn’t limited to PrivatBank customers. According
to Focus, the disruption appeared to
affect Visa and Mastercard services more broadly.
In Kyiv and the surrounding region, card payments in stores
were largely impossible, and ATMs in the capital were also out of service.
Interfax-Ukraine
reported that some customers were able to make payments despite the issues,
while others struggled.
“There were problems everywhere — in establishments, stores,
and at Privat. But Monobank is working fine,” one reporter noted. Another
correspondent quoted a barista who mentioned that some customers were having
trouble with PUMB bank cards.
Adding to the confusion, users also reported issues with
Apple Pay and Google Pay transactions.
Visa’s press service denied any issues on their end.
“In response to media reports about cashless payment
disruptions, we confirm that there are no issues with Visa’s payment
processing. Visa’s systems are operating smoothly and processing Ukrainian
consumer transactions in full,” the company said.
While efforts to resolve the situation are underway, the
outage has left many customers frustrated and seeking answers.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
