Raiffeisen Bank (Kyiv) opened its first underground branches in Kharkiv and Dnipro, the bank’s Telegram channel reported on Friday.

As specified, the underground branches will operate on the basis of existing ones and serve clients in the event of an air raid alarm. Customer service is already available through a separate entrance leading to the underground premises.

"Underground workplaces ensure continuity of customer service even in the event of air raids. This is especially important in cities that are subject to constant shelling, which is why branches are forced to stop working on the surface for quite a long time," said Artem Nidzelsky, director for retail business of the bank’s south-eastern region.

According to him, the continuous operation of branches allows supporting local businesses and providing access to financial services. This, in turn, helps minimize economic losses for entrepreneurs and the population.

"It is also extremely important that the new initiative creates safer working conditions for employees, allows them to work more confidently and experience less stress," Nidzelsky emphasized.

Underground branches provide all the banking services that traditional branches do, including opening accounts, deposits, lending, client consultations and cash payments.

Raiffeisen Bank explained that the first underground bank branches appeared in cities located near military operations and constantly exposed to shelling. The number and duration of air raids in these cities is increased, clients have limited access to offline services and frequent problems with stable communication.

It is expected that this step will help maintain economic stability in frontline regions, maintain customer confidence and give a sense of stability and security when using banking services, which is especially important in wartime.

In the future, the bank plans to open separate underground branches in Kharkiv, Dnipro and other frontline cities.