KIEV, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The first deputy head of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Yakiv Smoliy has been named as acting governor of the financial institution until a new governor is found, the bank announced Wednesday.
Smoliy will replace Valeria Gontareva on Thursday as chief of the central bank, the NBU said in a statement on its website.
Gontareva, a former investment banker and business partner of President Petro Poroshenko, tendered her resignation a month ago after a sustained campaign against her from protesters and lawmakers.
Gontareva, who has headed the NBU for almost three years, announced last month that she will step down on Thursday, because her reform "mission is complete."
Her resignation is due to be accepted by Poroshenko and approved by the parliament, which is in recess from April until mid-May.
The 56-year-old Smoliy has served as the deputy head of the NBU since April 2014.
