The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) hopes that stability on the currency market will be established as soon as a bill introducing criminal responsibility for attempts to sell dollars or euro in cash on the shadow market is adopted.

"[The unofficial sale of foreign currency in cash] will be considered tax evasion, and not an administrative violation. Speaking about especially big sums, criminal responsibility will be introduced [for shadow operations with currency]," the chairman of the NBU's committee for the prevention of dishonest foreign exchange operations, Yuriy Horshkov, said in a statement posted on the central bank's Web site.

As reported, bill No. 11433, which foresees the introduction of a fee to the Pension Fund on the sale of foreign currency at 15% of the transaction amount, was registered in parliament on November 16.

Experts say that the adoption of the bill will encourage the work of the shadow currency market.

However, Horshkov said that the introduction of the document would reduce exchange rate volatility via the elimination of speculation on foreign currency exchange rates.

"The situation with U.S. dollar exchange rate was whipped up artificially. There are a number of people that are eager to receive extra profits from the situation," he said.

The official added that speculators have involved the whole population of the country in a currency pyramid. He also accused the media of raising panic around the situation by publishing pessimistic forecasts related to exchange rate.

Horshkov said the NBU is striving to make it possible to carry out all of currency operations at banks.

The official also called on Ukrainians to use cards for payments abroad, as the NBU is actively considering the possibility of introducing restrictions on sums of cash payments.

Horshkov added that almost all tourists that visited Ukraine during the Euro 2012 European Football championship used cards for payments.

"We hope that it [bill No. 11433] will be passed in the near future," he said.