Russians living in the EU have begun reporting widespread issues with topping up accounts at Revolut using cards from banks in CIS countries—Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Armenia, according to Oninvest, citing affected clients.
Account top-ups failed both directly and via mobile banking apps from former Soviet countries. When attempting to transfer money, clients received a refusal along with a message stating that “the top-up card is no longer supported.” None of the banks involved are currently under sanctions.
Two Revolut clients living in France received official letters from the bank notifying them of a ban on top-ups using cards from 52 countries. The list includes nations where Russians relocated en masse after 2022: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Serbia, Israel, UAE, as well as popular tourist destinations such as Thailand, Cuba, and Vietnam. Monaco was also unexpectedly included.
Revolut cited its own terms and conditions, as well as stricter requirements from international payment systems, as the reason. According to the bank’s support service, payment systems classified several countries as high-risk for card top-up operations. Revolut noted that the block applies only to “card-to-card” top-ups.
In early November, Russians and Belarusians living in Europe had already faced account and card blocks at Revolut following the EU’s 19th sanctions package. In letters, the bank demanded proof of residency in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland, but notifications of account blocks would arrive within minutes. The UK-based service Wise also imposed restrictions, temporarily blocking cards from clients in Russia and Belarus. Now, unblocking requires confirmation of citizenship or residence in an EU country or Switzerland.
Revolut was founded in 2015 by Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko. Since 2022, Storonsky has renounced his Russian citizenship and holds British citizenship. Forbes estimates his net worth at $7.9 billion. According to the company, Revolut serves over 60 million clients worldwide, and the company’s latest valuation in November was $75 billion, establishing the neobank as the most valuable startup in Europe.
