The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) intends to consider the issue of abolishing the major foreign exchange restrictions no earlier than in late 2016, one of the participants in a traditional meeting of NBU Head Valeriya Gontareva with bankers has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"The regulator has no plans to carry out the announcement of the previously removed foreign exchange restrictions in April this year, believing that it is premature. It is necessary to work to change the "road map" with the IMF, and the question of removing these restrictions moves away from the agenda to the end of the current year," he said.

According to the source, the central bank head said the NBU reserves in the amount of $13.3 billion are "comfortable," despite the target set in early 2015 to achieve a figure of $15-18 billion.

However, Gontareva believes it is premature to lift foreign exchange restrictions in view of the deterioration of the balance of payments, the delay the next tranches under the program of Ukraine's cooperation with the IMF.