Major UK retail and commercial bank NatWest has imposed restrictions on its customers who make cryptocurrency payments on exchanges. Earlier, similar measures were introduced by a number of other banks in the country.

NatWest customers will now be limited to payments of £1,000 ($1,218) per day and £5,000 ($6,090) per month, the bank said.

“NatWest is stepping up client protection against crypto-criminals after clients lost £329 million ($400 million) last year,” the bank said in a statement.

NatWest’s new limits apply to both debit card transactions and transfers from customer accounts, a bank spokesman said.

“Criminals use the unpredictability of the cryptocurrency markets for their own purposes. They force investors to transfer money to exchanges that are created by a criminal on behalf of a client or a victim under pressure from a criminal,” the bank said.

Earlier, British banks Nationwide and HSBC banned their customers from making payments on crypto exchanges using credit cards. The rule will apply to both existing and new cardholders.