The National Bank of Ukraine has approved the head of the board of the nationalized Sense Bank (Kiev), Oleksiy Stupak, selected earlier by the supervisory board of the financial institution for this position following a competition, the bank’s press service said on Monday.
“On February 15, 2024, the National Bank of Ukraine has agreed Oleksiy Stupak as chairman of the board of Sense Bank,” the release said.
As reported, Stupak started his career in 2002 in Pravex Bank, where he was responsible for working with corporate and VIP clients. He then held senior positions at Credit Agricole Bank from 2008.
In June 2019, he joined the Sence Bank team, assuming the position of Corporate Business Director, after which he became the supervisor of Corporate and Investment, SME, which he has been doing until now.
Former Sense Bank CEO Dmitry Kuzmin, who was appointed to this position during the bank’s nationalization at the end of July 2023, resigned by mutual agreement for personal reasons a few weeks after his appointment. Kuzmin’s deputy Yelena Zubchenko, who worked in the Ministry of Finance before the bank’s nationalization, was appointed acting head of the board.
According to the NBU, as of January 1, 2024, Sense Bank ranked 8th among 63 operating banks in Ukraine in terms of assets (UAH 131.2 billion). It was nationalized at the end of July 2023 under a specially adopted law as a systemically important bank with majority shareholders from Russia’s Alfa Group caught up in sanctions. At the same time, the state appointed an entirely new management board and supervisory board.
Italian export credit agency SACE will allocate EUR1.5bn to support trade and financial operations, particularly in the health care and infrastructure sectors.
According to the website of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, this was discussed during the meeting between the First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Sviridenko and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic to Ukraine Pier Francesco Dzadzo, where the Ukrainian side urged SACE to strengthen cooperation with Ukraine and expand the types of covered risks.
In addition, the export credit agency intends to support investments of Italian companies in Ukraine and provide export credits, soft loans and direct investments.
First Deputy Prime Minister noted the importance of supporting Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which is the backbone of the national economy. She stressed that the Government also expects to intensify cooperation with the Italian Agency for Cooperation Development (AICS) to promote local economic development, job creation and support SMEs.
In addition, the sides discussed the return of Ukrainians. The provision of housing for Ukrainians remains important.
SACE is an Italian export credit agency and an active participant of the largest international organizations in the field of export credit. SACE’s activities are regulated by European Union legislation and the OECD Agreement on Officially Supported Export Credits.
AGENCY, INVESTMENTS, ITALY, Ministries of Economy, trade support
The government action plan for 2024 envisages measures to open Ukrainian embassies in the Philippines, Colombia, Panama, Guyana, Paraguay and Uruguay.
According to the Government Action Plan, during 2024 it is planned to undertake administrative, organizational and financial measures to start the activities of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of the Philippines. It is also planned to start the process of opening embassies in Colombia, Panama, Guyana, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is noted that it is envisaged to open one full-time consular office of Ukraine and five non-staff consular offices.
COLOMBIA, embassies, Guyana, PANAMA, PARAGUAY, PHILIPPINES, URUGUAY
Tobacco concern Philip Morris International has increased shipments of finished products in Ukraine by 8.4% in 2023 compared to 2022, the company said in a press release.
“For 2023, our finished product shipments in Ukraine increased by 8.4%. This figure includes both imported and locally produced products. The increase in shipments occurred as part of our strategy to regain market share, which we temporarily lost due to the war and the forced shutdown of our factory in Kharkiv region,” the company’s press service quoted Philip Morris’ CFO in Ukraine Sergey Kalnoochenko as saying.
According to the published financial report of the company, in the fourth quarter of 2023 PMI increased total shipments of cigarettes and tobacco products for electric heating in Ukraine by 14.9% compared to the same period of 2022.
In total, total finished goods shipments in the company’s European region, which includes Ukraine, increased 2.6% to 53.6 billion cigarettes in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the fourth quarter of the prior year, primarily driven by markets in Poland (up 10.6%), Italy (up 4.0%) and Ukraine (up 14.9%), partially offset by lower shipments in France (down 13.7%) and Germany (down 6.2%).
In total, Philip Morris International’s 2023 revenue increased 10.7% to $35.2 billion compared to 2022.
According to the report, the total number of adult IQOS users globally at the end of 2023 was estimated at approximately 28.6 million, an increase of 3.7 million from December 2022.
Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company that has been operating in the Ukrainian market since 1994. Over 30 years of work, the company has invested more than $700 mln in the Ukrainian economy.
Philip Morris in Ukraine has suspended the operation of its factory in Kharkiv region since February 24, 2022. Since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the company has secured a steady supply of its products to Ukraine through imports from 8 PMI factories and a temporary partnership with another international manufacturer in Ukraine.
Philip Morris plans to launch a new factory in Lviv region in the second quarter of 2024 with an investment of $30 mln.
In 2023, the company paid more than UAH 30 bln of taxes to budgets of different levels in Ukraine.
How much money the 3 largest foundations raised last year
People donated UAH 18.75 billion to the three largest foundations last year. This amount is almost half as much as in 2022. The number of donors increased in the second half of the year. It was the end of the year when several platforms reached record amounts of money. This is evidenced by data from United 24, Come Back Alive, and the Shelter Fund.
For comparison, in 2022, the total amount of donations reached a record 34.38 billion UAH. Of this amount, 2/3 was raised in the first six months – UAH 24 billion, and the remaining UAH 10.5 billion was donated in the second half of the year.
Where did people donate the most money?
United 24 became the leader among charitable organizations in 2023. The foundation managed to raise almost 2/3 of the total amount – UAH 12.07 billion. The peak of donations was in December last year – UAH 3.55 billion or 29%. This is a record amount for a month since the foundation’s inception.
United 24 works in 5 areas:
● the needs of the Armed Forces – UAH 10.81 billion (90%);
Healthcare – UAH 0.76 billion (6%)
Restoration of destroyed property and infrastructure – UAH 0.25 billion (2%);
Humanitarian demining – UAH 0.13 billion (1%);
● Education and science needs – UAH 0.12 billion (1%).
December was also a significant month for Come Back Alive, as it was then that the foundation raised 20% of all its accumulations for the year – UAH 0.9 billion. In contrast, the foundation’s share of all donations raised together with its colleagues is 24%, or UAH 4.53 billion.
Only 11% of the total accumulated amount is accounted for by the Shelter Fund. The organization raised UAH 2.14 billion last year, of which the largest amount was received in October – UAH 0.31 billion.
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/donation-2023
amount of donations, charitable organizations, Come Back Alive, Shelter Fund, UNITED 24
Real GDP percentage changes over previous period in 2014-2023
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
