Ukrainian poultry products have entered the market of the Sultanate of Oman, it is already the ninth market opened by Ukraine since the beginning of 2025, said the chairman of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection (Gosprodpotrebsluzhba) Sergiy Tkachuk.
“Already the ninth new export market opened this year – Ukraine has received permission to supply meat, by-products and other poultry products to Oman. This became possible after the harmonization of veterinary requirements and the form of the certificate between the competent authorities of both countries,” he wrote in Facebook.
Tkachuk emphasized that the opening of the market of the Sultanate of Oman is another significant step in expanding Ukraine’s export opportunities and the result of systematic cooperation between the State Consumer Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food and diplomatic institutions.
“Together we continue to open new horizons for Ukrainian agricultural exports. From now on, Ukrainian producers can supply products that meet the veterinary and sanitary requirements of Oman, taking into account the conditions of production, processing, transportation, packaging and labeling,” – said the chairman of the State Consumer Service.
He added that the form of the certificate is available on the website of the State Consumer Service.
On June 20, the communal enterprise of Sumy city council “Elektroavtotrans” announced its intention to conclude a contract with IC “Arsenal Insurance” for compulsory motor third party liability insurance (MTPL).
As reported in the system of electronic public procurement Prozorro, the total expected cost of the tender amounted to UAH 934.3 thousand, the price offer of the company, the only bidder, amounted to UAH 514.9 thousand. SG “TAS” also participated in the tender with the offer of UAH 934,3 th. IC “Arsenal Insurance” is the legal successor of IC “Arsenal-Dnepr”, which has been operating in Ukraine since 2005. It is represented in all regional centers and some large cities of the country.
According to the NBU, the company is among the top ten leading insurers of Ukraine in terms of premiums collected by the end of 2024.
ARSENAL INSURANCE, INSURANCE, Motor transport, Електроавтотранс
On June 20, 2025, the ceremony to award the winners of the All-Ukrainian Customer Experience Award UCXE’25 took place in Kyiv. The event was organized by KA Group with the support of general partners Nova Poshta, Oschadbank, and 4Service.
GENERAL PHOTO 001
This year’s award brought together leading Ukrainian companies that submitted more than 60 case studies in the field of customer experience. The participating companies represented various industries, including e-commerce, banking, insurance, HoReCa, retail, fuel stations, and even agriculture.
“Ukrainian CX Excellence is a real Oscar and a powerful professional community that transforms customer experience from a formality into a strategic advantage and a new customer-centric culture of interaction in business,” shared Alona Zhupikova, founder of KA Group.
The cases were evaluated in two stages: first, a written essay, followed by an online defense during a two-day CX marathon. The Award’s Expert Council consisted of 55 independent experts.
“Teams that create customer experiences must manifest their victories in order to record not just achievements, but progress, development, and changes that become the new norm for the entire company. It is in these victories that the growth map of the company’s customer experience can be seen. Demonstrating a team’s victory is an act of leadership, and it shows how small decisions made by a team can change a large service culture,” commented Lana Mitchenko, CEO of KA Group.
This year, the awards were presented in 13 categories. The winners received awards, diplomas, and gifts from partners — Ukrflora, YouScan, and Spell.
● In the category “Best CX Case Study for Implementing an Inclusive Approach,” the winner was Oschadbank. Second place went to Nova Poshta, and third place went to AgroMat.
● In the category “Best CX Case Study on Feedback,” the winner was Dnipro-M, second place went to YASNO, and third place went to Uklon and Comfy.
● In the category “Best CX Case Study on the Implementation of a Loyalty Program,” the winner was YASNO, second place went to the “ЇМО!” loyalty program, and third place went to Kopyochka.
● In the category “Best CX Case Study Using Employee Experience,” first place went to Dnipro-M, second place to Comfy, and third place to Foxtrot.
● In the category “Best CX Case Study Using User Experience,” the winner was UKRSIBBANK.
● In the category “Best CX Case Study Using Service Design,” the winner was Raiffeisen Bank, second place went to UKRSIBBANK, and third place went to OTP Bank.
● In the category “Best CX Case Study Based on Technology and AI,” the winner was Pizza Day, and second place went to AgroSem.
● In the “Best CX Case in B2B” category, first place went to Food Art Summit, second place to MHP Food Service, and third place to Horeca Masters.
● In the “Best CX Case in a Contact Center” category, the winner was VUSO, second place went to Dila, and third place to Oschadbank.
● In the “Best Innovative CX Case” category, the winner was Nova Poshta, second place went to Foxtrot, and third place went to Raiffeisen Bank.
● In the “Best Online CX Case” category, first place went to DTEK Networks, second place went to VARUS, and third place went to Dnipro-M.
● In the “Best Offline CX Case” category, the winner was Dnipro-M, second place went to Oschadbank, and third place went to WOG.
● In the “Best Personalized CX Case” category, the winner was Oschadbank, second place went to Comfy, and third place went to Dnipro-M.
We sincerely congratulate all the winners and finalists of UCXE’2025, who demonstrated a high level of strategic innovation and empathy in the implementation of CX solutions!
The Ukrainian National Customer Experience Award is an event that brings together thousands of professionals with a human-centric approach.
Our job is to put people at the center of business decision-making. This is especially important in times of war and crisis. So let’s celebrate the winners, scale up the best practices, and bring victory closer,” said Olena Tsysar, CX consultant and representative of the UCXE’2025 Methodological Council.
Lovemark companies award — a new vector of trust in brands
It has become a tradition that Ukrainian CX Excellence announces Lovemark companies, selected based on a large consumer survey (17,000+ votes) conducted by 4Service.
According to the survey results, in 2025, the customers’ favorites were Monobank, Silpo, COMFY, OKKO, Podorozhnik, Nova Poshta, Kyivstar, Diya, EVA, Adidas, ROZETKA, Epicenter, and the insurance company TAS.
“The 2025 LoveMark includes 14 companies in 14 categories. It is a large, thorough survey based on the criteria of love and respect,” said Viktoria Skorbota, Regional Director of 4Service East.
Along with the awarding of the winners, the ceremony program included keynotes from leading CX experts. Insights on the importance of CX research were shared by Marina Berezyuk, business psychologist, CX consultant, and author of the book How to Win Customers’ Hearts.
“Cult scientists in behavioral economics – Kahneman and Thaler – received Nobel Prizes for their research on human irrationality. It is obvious that the customer journey should not be created based solely on logic.”
Iryna Chubukova, business consultant in customer analytics, kmbs lecturer, and author of the book Customer Analytics, noted:
“For the customer experience to be profitable, you need to speak the language of finance. That’s why we create models that link CX to customer behavior and business metrics — from NPS to ROI. CX is not an expense. It’s an investment that either works or doesn’t. The Impact model is Google Maps for CX. It shows where to invest to get financial returns and helps build arguments that CFOs and shareholders understand.”
The awards have been received, and sincere thanks have been sent to the teams. Most importantly, we have gained a stronger awareness that UCXE’2025 has become a space for strategic dialogue, where new benchmarks for customer experience as a business driver are born.
This year’s cases demonstrated a new level of maturity, depth, and consistency in decision-making. We are convinced that even in difficult times, customer-centric business is an irreversible evolution of CX in Ukraine. And that is why we are confidently continuing on this path.
KA Group is already preparing to welcome new nominees — leaders who are not resting on their laurels and are shaping the future of customer centricity in Ukraine. See you at the All-Ukrainian Customer Experience Awards in 2026!
Read more about all the winnerson the Awards website
On June 23, PJSC Khmelnytskyoblenergo announced its intention to conclude a contract with IC VUSO for compulsory civil liability insurance for owners of land vehicles (OSAGO), according to the Prozorro electronic public procurement system.
With an expected cost of UAH 4.209 million, the price offered by VUSO, the only participant in the tender, was UAH 4.149 million.
VUSO Insurance Company was founded in 2001. It is a member of the Motor Transport Insurance Bureau of Ukraine and the National Association of Insurance Companies of Ukraine, a participant in the agreement on direct settlement of losses, and a member of the Nuclear Insurance Pool.
INSURANCE, Khmelnytskyoblenergo, Motor transport, VUSO Insurance Company
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) last week increased its sale on the interbank market by $138.7m, or 23.7%, to $724.0m in the absence of currency purchases, according to statistics on the regulator’s website.
The data, which the regulator managed to release during this time, shows that the balance was negative all last week and fluctuated from $0.4m on Monday to $13.7m on Tuesday, $14.1m on Wednesday and $11.9m on Thursday.
The official hryvnia exchange rate rose from 41.4466 UAH/$1 at the beginning of the week to 41.8335 UAH/$1 at the end of the week.
In the cash market, the hryvnia exchange rate changed at the end of the week, with buying up around 41.71 UAH/$1 and selling up around 41.80 UAH/$1.
“The US dollar exchange rate remains in a controlled range, showing minimal changes within the so-called floating stability. This was possible due to the systemic influence of key factors: high currency reserves, restrained demand from the population, moderate business activity and projected volumes of currency supply,” experts of a major participant of the cash currency exchange market described the situation. Read more at the link – KYT Group.
According to analysts, in the next two to four weeks the dollar exchange rate is likely to remain stable within the range of UAH 41.10-41.80/$1, without significant fluctuations in the spread.
In the medium term, within two to four months, the dollar may strengthen to UAH 42.00-42.50/$1 if imports intensify, budget expenditures increase or inflation accelerates.
The Netherlands is one of the most stable and attractive countries in Europe for real estate investments. Transparent legislation, developed market, high demand for rentals make this country interesting for both private owners and investors. However, before buying an apartment or house, it is important to understand what taxes you will have to face – both when buying and during further ownership.
The main taxes when buying real estate in the Netherlands
1. Transfer Tax (Overdrachtsbelasting)
This is the main one-time tax when buying a property on the secondary market.
Standard rate: 10.4% of the purchase price (effective January 1, 2023).
For homes purchased for own residence: 2% rate.
For buyers under the age of 35 (first-time buyers of a home up to €510,000): the rate can be 0% (exemption if all conditions are met).
Please note: if you buy a property to rent out, even as a private individual, the 10.4% rate applies.
2. VAT (BTW).
VAT only applies when you buy a new property from a property developer.
Rate: 21% of the value of the property.
In case of purchase with VAT, no transfer tax (Overdrachtsbelasting) is charged.
Annual property taxes
1. Municipal property tax (Onroerendezaakbelasting, OZB)
This tax is paid by all property owners (both natural and legal persons).
It is based on the assessed value of the property (WOZ-waarde), which is determined annually by the municipality.
The rate varies depending on the city, usually from 0.035% to 0.12%.
For example, if the WOZ-value of a house is €400,000, the tax could be between €140 and €480 per year.
2- Waterschapsbelasting – tax on water management
The Netherlands is a country with an active water infrastructure, so there is a special tax:
It is paid by all property owners.
The amount depends on the region and the type of property, but is usually between €100 and €400 per year.
3- Local charges: garbage, sewage, etc.
The property owner also pays a number of local fees that vary by municipality:
Waste disposal (afvalstoffenheffing)
Sewerage fee (rioolheffing)
Charges for public services
Together these can amount to €300-€700 per year.
Taxes on rental property
In the Netherlands, rental income is taxed according to a tax ‘box’:
In most cases, unless you are a professional landlord, the property falls into Box 3 (capital tax).
Income is not directly taxed, but the condition of the assets (including the market value of the property) is taxed.
The effective rate is between 1.2% and 1.71% of net worth (after deducting debts).
Example
Purchase of an apartment in Amsterdam for €450,000 for own residence:
Property transfer tax (2%): €9,000
Municipal tax (approx. 0.1% of WOZ): approx. €450 per year
Garbage and sewerage fees: €500 per year
Waterschapsbelasting: €200 per year
Total annual taxes and fees: about €1,150
Buying property in the Netherlands requires a good understanding of the tax system. The main one-off tax is 2% or 10.4%, depending on the purpose of the purchase. This is followed by annual local and water charges, as well as taxation in the case of renting. To properly evaluate an investment, it is important to consider not only the purchase price but also the long-term fiscal obligations. In case of doubt, it is advisable to consult a local tax advisor or notary.
