In normal times, bank branch managers wonder at the end of the day how much the withdrawals, deposits and other account movements were.

At Pravex Bank in Ukraine, they are currently asking themselves every day which branch is still standing and who is coming to work because he has not escaped, was not drafted into the army, was not injured or was not killed.

Pravex is a small subsidiary of the Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo with 780 employees and 45 branches in Ukraine.

Despite the war, the bank manages to open a number of branches every day.

Christian Schubert

Economic correspondent for Italy and Greece.

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"Physically and psychologically, it's far from easy," Svitlana Kramarova, CFO of the bank in Ukraine, told FAZ via email.

“Our life changed from one day to the next.

But we've already learned how to keep a bank going despite bombs falling, rockets falling, and having to keep going into air-raid shelters to stay alive," she writes.

“When we come back from the bunkers, we go back to work.

We're all incredibly dedicated.” Keeping the banking operations running is what she describes as “our frontline”.

Because “the future depends on our solidarity”.

branches still open

Her boss, the Italian bank manager Stefano Burani, can only confirm the great commitment.

Until recently, the CEO managed Pravex Bank from Kyiv, after which he and his wife had to leave the country for security reasons.

"Every day, practically from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., I'm on the phone or otherwise communicating to be useful to my people in Ukraine."

Especially in the less competitive west of the country, Pravex Bank has still opened its branches.

In the heavily bombed cities such as Kharkiv, Cherson and Mariupol, on the other hand, banking is not possible for understandable reasons.

In the center of Kharkov, a Pravex branch was partially destroyed, including the windows smashed.

In Kyiv, too, it is too dangerous for banking.

“Early in the morning, we decide which branches to open every day.

In the past week we managed to open 20 to 25 percent of the branches,” reports Burani.

The work is interrupted by bomb alarms;

then the people rush to the air-raid shelter.

But it is not uncommon for employees to communicate with smartphones from there.

"Fortunately, the Internet works, not 100 percent everywhere, but there are even connections in several subway stations that today serve as bunkers," says Burani.

No more than 3000 euros a day

Where the branches are open, customers must make an appointment.

“The good thing about all this misfortune is that we learned to work remotely during the Covid crisis.

Around a fifth of the workforce comes to the branches when they are open.” Departments such as treasury, accounting and IT security have to work in the branches via secure internal bank systems.

Many ATMs still work;

long queues would rarely form in front of it.

According to the central bank, customers in Ukraine are not allowed to withdraw more than 100,000 hryvnia (3,000 euros) per day per person.

Foreign currency may not be deducted at all.

Payments, on the other hand, are unlimited.

"But you don't have to go to the bank for that, because internet banking works," says Burani.

You can see it on the Pravex Bank website, which is still easily accessible in its Ukrainian and English versions.

The opening of the bank branches is important, however, because people often want to use their lockers;

the safekeeping of valuables is a very popular bank service in Ukraine, reports Burani.

Despite the war, the employees are highly motivated, confirms the Italian manager.

Even those who have fled to a neighboring country and then continue to work from there.

"Quite a few are on duty around the clock because they want to help their compatriots." The war has welded people together.

"Sometimes we receive photos of colleagues in uniform, everyone is proud of them." The central bank's supply of liquidity to the banks is also still going well.

The financial companies would have no problems refinancing.

“The central bank is very flexible and acts quickly.

Above all, it did three intelligent things: it left the payment systems open, introduced a maximum limit on withdrawals and banned the withdrawal of foreign exchange,” reports Burani.

He points out that Intesa Sanpaolo's bank employees show great solidarity in neighboring countries when colleagues cross the border.

“Some arrive practically with just a plastic bag in their hands.

The colleagues pick them up and sometimes bring them to their homes.” The banking group provides accommodation.

Especially for refugees: With their bank and credit cards, they can access their accounts in Ukraine from abroad.

Does he feel resentment on the part of Ukrainian employees for leaving the country?

Burani, who has worked abroad for three decades, says no, especially since his superiors called on him to leave the country.

"Everyone knows that I would have stayed if I could have," says the Italian.