Ferrexpo plc, a mining and ore company with its main assets in Ukraine, produced 1,385,139 metric tons of pellets in January–June of this year, which is 36% lower than in January–June of last year (2,169,631 metric tons), but in the second quarter, it increased production of this product by 64% compared to the first quarter—to 860,213 thousand metric tons from 524,926 thousand metric tons.
According to the company’s press release on Wednesday, total production of marketable products (pellet and iron ore concentrate) for the first half of 2026 fell by 54% compared to the first half of 2025—to 1,556,160 thousand metric tons. In particular, production of premium-grade Fe67% concentrate amounted to 171,021 thousand metric tons, compared to 1,223,504 thousand metric tons (a decrease of 86%). The company also produced 1,221,968 thousand metric tons of premium-grade pellets (a 41% decrease) and 163,171 thousand metric tons of DR pellets (compared to 81,787 thousand metric tons produced in the first half of 2025).
The press release notes that the group continues to operate under significant constraints caused, in particular, by serious operational and financial risks related to the war in Ukraine. These factors include the mobilization of a significant portion of the workforce into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as disruptions and restrictions in logistics, as a result of which only one iron ore pellet production line is currently in operation.
The group continues to focus on cost management and operational activities to preserve working capital amid significant constraints. At the same time, the Group continues to optimize its product mix (the ratio of pellet production to concentrate production) and manage the allocation of shipments among customers. In addition, operating expenses have been reduced across all business lines over an extended period, a situation that will require a solution in the future.
As a result of these measures, as of June 30, 2026, the Group’s available cash balance stood at approximately $27 million (excluding funds held at MBaer Merchant Bank (MBaer), whose banking license was revoked in February 2026). As of June 30, 2026, the Group’s net cash position (excluding lease obligations) was approximately $21 million (for comparison: as of March 31, 2026, this figure was approximately $25 million; as of December 31, 2025, it was $47 million; as of June 30, 2025, it was $50 million; and as of December 31, 2024, it was $101 million).
Given the measures taken by the Group, as well as current production volumes, actual and projected energy prices for the next quarter, and an optimized sales structure, the Group forecasts that its available net cash (net of lease obligations and funds locked up in MBaer) will be sufficient to continue operations under the current challenging conditions until the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2026. This forecast depends on the volatility of iron ore prices and operating expenses (particularly energy costs) and is based on the assumption that there will be no material changes in the Group’s operating conditions (including energy supply) Furthermore, the arbitration administrator appointed as part of the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant’s bankruptcy proceedings will not impose restrictive measures, and there will be no final, non-appealable adverse decisions in the various judicial and administrative proceedings to which the Group is currently a party.
The Group remains in a precarious financial position and is implementing cost-cutting measures across all areas of its operations, particularly with regard to operating and capital expenditures. In addition, significant operating expenditures have been deferred, particularly those related to the optimization of mining operations, repairs, and maintenance of processing and pellet production facilities, as well as mining equipment.
Against this backdrop, the group is maintaining its workforce at 6,299 employees to retain the skilled professionals needed to manage flexible production volumes in response to market demand. This figure currently includes 804 employees serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The press release states that the Group’s VAT refunds have been suspended since March 2025. As a result of this suspension, as of June 30, 2026, VAT receivables in Ukraine amounted to $90.4 million (net of related provisions); (for comparison: as of March 31, 2026, this figure stood at $90.3 million). Of this amount, as of the date of this announcement, $87.5 million had been claimed for refunds covering the period from January 2025 through June 2026, with the Ukrainian tax authorities having denied refunds for approximately $80.8 million (relating to the period from January 2025 through April 2026).
The company is in negotiations with Ukrainian authorities to find a long-term solution to the issue of obtaining VAT refunds. Although the company is striving to reach an agreement, given the complexity of the situation, the possibility of reaching such an agreement and the timeline for its implementation remain uncertain, according to the press release.
The company also provides an update on the status of its legal proceedings. Specifically, regarding the long-standing legal dispute between “Maxi Capital Group” Financial Company LLC (Maxi Capital) and PGZK regarding disputed guarantee agreements and a claim in the amount of 4.727 billion hryvnia (approximately $105.4 million as of June 30, 2026), the group reports that the main claim is currently being considered by the Supreme Court of Ukraine. On May 1, 2026, the court expanded the panel to 17 judges. The next court hearing in this case is scheduled for October 12, 2026.
Proceedings in the PGZK bankruptcy case: Following the local court of first instance’s decision on February 24, 2026, to open bankruptcy proceedings based on Maxi Capital’s petition, PGZK filed an appeal against that decision. Following the official recusal of the original three-judge panel on April 30, 2026, a new panel was appointed. During the hearing on June 2, 2026, the appellate court heard the parties’ arguments and scheduled the next hearing for July 27, 2026.
The company has updated information regarding its financing options. The Board of Directors continues to believe that raising equity capital is currently the most viable solution within the required timeframe. This capital raise will likely be structured as a conditional placement of new shares among certain existing and new institutional investors with the aim of raising at least $100 million. These funds are necessary to maintain the Group’s working capital levels, meet its short-term operational needs, increase production volumes, and carry out previously deferred work on deposit development (overburden removal) and capital expenditures while operating at reduced capacity over the next 18 months. The Group is actively working on a series of measures necessary to begin implementing the planned capital raise.
The Company continues negotiations with representatives of its largest shareholder—Fevamotinico S.a.r.l.—regarding its participation in the equity financing. At this stage, there is no certainty that the Group will be able to successfully carry out the planned fundraising. If the issues regarding the delay in VAT refunds and financing problems are not resolved in a timely manner, this could lead to serious negative consequences for the Group. In particular, the Company or Group entities may be forced to file for insolvency in the relevant jurisdictions, and shareholders may lose all or a significant portion of their investments.
Regarding the delay in the publication of the audited financial statements for 2025, the listing, and trading of the Company’s shares: Given that the preparation of the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, under the going concern assumption, depends on the successful completion of the planned capital raising, the Company has not yet been able to publish its audited financial results for that period. The results for the 2025 fiscal year are expected to be released concurrently with the launch of the planned capital raising process.
Following the release of the results for the 2025 fiscal year, the company will apply to the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to lift the suspension of its listing, thereby allowing trading in the company’s shares to resume.
Commenting on the group’s performance, interim acting chairman Lucio Genovese stated, “We are very pleased that we were able to restore stable production during this period, despite the numerous operational and logistical challenges we faced.”
“We took the opportunity to improve our sales mix through exports of direct-recovery pellets (DR pellets/FDP) and continue to cut costs across the entire company to preserve our available working capital, which is being depleted due to the lack of VAT refunds starting in March 2025. We are continuing our efforts to raise capital, which is the most viable solution for addressing the working capital shortfall,” Genovese noted.
As previously reported, Ferrexpo produced 3,221,461 metric tons of pellets in 2025, which is 47% less than in the previous year (6,070,541 metric tons). At the same time, total production of marketable products (pellets and iron ore concentrate) for 2025 decreased by 9% to 6,141,759 thousand metric tons. Specifically, marketable concentrate output amounted to 2,920,298 thousand metric tons, compared to 709,803 thousand metric tons, respectively. The company also produced 81,787 thousand metric tons of DR pellets (compared to 489,720 thousand metric tons in 2024) and 3,139,674 thousand metric tons of premium-grade pellets (a 44% decrease).
In 2024, Ferrexpo increased pellet production by 58% compared to 2023—to 6,070,541 metric tons from 3,845,325 metric tons. In 2023, the company produced 3.845 million metric tons of pellets, which is 36.5% less than in 2022.
Ferrexpo owns a 100% stake in Yeristivsky Mining and Processing Plant LLC, a 99.9% stake in Bilanivsky Mining and Processing Plant LLC, and 100% of the shares in Poltava Mining and Processing Plant PJSC.
FERREXPO, MINING AND PROCESSING PLANT, PELLETS, PRODUCTION, VAT
