An entrepreneur received a state microgrant of UAH 1 million to develop her business. Under the programme’s terms, she also deposited nearly UAH 430,000 of her own funds into a special bank account.
However, after the grant was transferred, the bank restricted access to the entrepreneur’s own contribution. It required her to provide a separate breakdown of how these funds would be used in the business plan budget. Yet neither the grant programme terms nor the procedure for awarding microgrants contained such a requirement, while the Diia portal did not technically allow the relevant changes to be made.
For more than five months, the entrepreneur was unable to pay contractors, purchase equipment, or begin implementing the project. Her appeals to the bank and the National Bank of Ukraine did not resolve the issue, so she filed a complaint with the Business Ombudsman Council.
The Council found that the bank’s requirement was not based on the programme rules and that the unjustified restriction on access to the entrepreneur’s own funds was hindering her business operations. The Council’s inspector asked the responsible ministry to provide the bank with an official clarification and requested that the State Employment Centre confirm that the payments complied with the grant conditions and assist in resolving the situation.
Following the Council’s intervention, the entrepreneur’s funds were unblocked. She regained access to her own contribution and was able to continue implementing the grant-funded project.
