Last week, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) reduced sales of dollars on the interbank market by $68.8 million, or 8.7%, to $725.5 million, according to statistics on the regulator’s website.
According to the NBU, in the first four days of last week, the average daily negative balance of buying and selling foreign currency by legal entities decreased to $95.8 million from $110.0 million in the same period a week ago, and totaled $383.1 million for the period.
The negative balance in the household foreign exchange market also decreased to $28.7 million from $36.9 million the week before, and cash purchases exceeded cash sales on all days.
The official hryvnia/dollar exchange rate, which started last week at 43.0487 UAH/$1, weakened to 43.0904 UAH/$1 over two days and ended the week at 42.9930 UAH/$1.
On the cash market, the dollar did not change significantly over the past week: as of February 12, the buying rate was about 42.79 UAH/$1, and the selling rate was about 43.19 UAH/$1.
Analysts of KYT Group (Liberty Finance LLC), a major participant in the cash foreign exchange market, noted that in the first half of February there were no significant stresses on the foreign exchange market, while the hryvnia slightly devalued against the dollar: the official exchange rate since the beginning of the month has changed from 42.84 UAH/$1 to 43.03 UAH/$1 at the end of the second week of February. In their opinion, the moderate dynamics was facilitated by the NBU’s interventions: since the beginning of January, the regulator has sold more than $4.33 billion on the market.
According to experts, the dollar is supported on the international market by the Fed’s keeping the base rate unchanged and relatively strong US labor market data, while the EUR/USD pair saw a slight strengthening of the dollar to 1.1874 in the first half of February.
In the domestic market, the spread at bank cash desks and exchange offices amounted to UAH 0.5-0.6/$1 in the first half of February.
According to the forecast of KYT Group, in the next one to two weeks the basic range of the hryvnia exchange rate will be 43.3-43.8 UAH/$1 with possible fluctuations towards weakening, while in the medium term of two to three months the exchange rate is expected to be in the range of 43.50-44.60 UAH/$1. According to them, the exchange rate in the coming months will be influenced by the demand for currency on the interbank market, the situation in the energy sector and at the front, as well as news about international support.
“Longer term (6+ months): the hryvnia is expected to devalue smoothly against the dollar, as well as regular and large-scale market support by the NBU’s foreign exchange interventions. The benchmark for the first half of 2026 is UAH 43.5-44.95/$,” KYT Group said.
Presidents of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held the first session of the Strategic Partnership Council and outlined the priorities of the economic bloc – from energy and investment to trade, agriculture and tourism, Serbian Economist reports.
The key practical outcome was the formalization of a package of bilateral documents. Seven agreements and memoranda were exchanged in Belgrade, including agreements on the design, construction and operation of a gas turbine power plant in Serbia, cooperation in the field of food security, a memorandum between the ministries of economy, as well as documents on media and communications, culture (for 2026-2030), sports and interaction of health insurance systems.
The leaders explicitly call energy cooperation the basis for the next step – electricity production based on Azerbaijani gas. Aliyev said Baku has decided to increase natural gas exports to Serbia, linking this to plans for electricity generation and potential future exports.
In the Serbian interpretation, the gas-fired power plant project is already tied to the parameters: Vucic said that Srbijagas and SOCAR are in discussions, and the goal is to reach the launch of the plant with an installed capacity of 500 MW by 2029 (locations are considered in the Niš area).
Against the backdrop of the political increase in the level of relations, the sides are once again returning to the issue of trade turnover. According to the Serbian National Statistics Office, the foreign trade turnover with Azerbaijan in 2024 amounted to $512.6 million (5-fold growth), with the main contribution provided by the purchase of crude oil and oil products.
Baku, for its part, estimates trade turnover in 2025 at $135 million and notes the growth of imports of Serbian goods by 55% – this data was cited by Azerbaijani Finance Minister Sahil Babayev on the eve of the visit.
It was also noted at the Council meeting that direct flights between Baku and Belgrade should start in May 2026, which is expected to strengthen tourism and business contacts.
In the coming months, governments and line ministers should “land” political agreements in the form of concrete projects. Vucic and Aliyev have publicly recorded that they expect quick results before the next visit of the Serbian president to Azerbaijan during this year.
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The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced that researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the Mayo Clinic have developed a panel of four biomarkers in blood plasma to detect pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The results are published in Clinical Cancer Research.
According to the NIH, in two retrospective sample sets, the addition of two new protein markers—aminopeptidase N (ANPEP) and polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (PIGR)—to the already studied CA19-9 and thrombospondin-2 (THBS2) allowed cancer cases to be distinguished from “non-cancer” cases in 91.9% of observations, with a false positive rate of 5%. For early stages (I-II), the test identified 87.5% of cases.
The report emphasizes that the panel was able to distinguish between malignant cases and patients with non-malignant pancreatic diseases, including pancreatitis, which is important for future use in risk groups.
The authors note that the results obtained require further verification in larger and “pre-diagnostic” studies – that is, in people before the onset of symptoms, primarily among patients at increased risk (family history, genetic predisposition, cysts, or pancreatitis).
The Supervisory Board of VUSO Insurance Company has approved the renewed composition of the Management Board, appointing Olga Levchenko and Igor Frolov, internal specialists, as Deputy Chairpersons of the Management Board, according to information from the insurer.
“The renewal of the board’s composition provides a balance of professional expertise and fresh perspectives, which strengthens the team. This allows us to combine proven approaches with new ideas, increases decision-making flexibility, and contributes to the consistent implementation of business goals,” emphasized Mikhail Nazarchuk, chairman of the insurance company’s supervisory board.
According to the information, Olga Levchenko has more than 23 years of experience in the insurance industry. She has many years of experience in management positions in insurance companies, and for the last three years she has been overseeing the development of medical insurance at VUSO. In her new position, she will focus on medical and travel insurance and underwriting.
Igor Frolov has been working in the financial sector since 2007. In 2016, he headed the central branch of VUSO in Kyiv and managed sales in the region. As a member of the Management Board, he is responsible for alternative sales channels, customer and non-operational support, marketing, and partnerships with tour operators.
As noted in the information, the current composition of the Management Board is as follows: Chairman of the Management Board Andriy Artyukhov, Deputy Chairpersons of the Management Board Olga Kabanets, Olga Levchenko, and Igor Frolov.
VUSO Insurance Company was founded in 2001. According to the NBU, the company ranks fourth among non-life insurers in Ukraine in terms of premiums collected for the first nine months of 2025.
On April 23, 2024, the National Bank of Ukraine reissued the company’s licenses to conduct insurance activities (33 for voluntary and 17 for compulsory types of insurance). VUSO Insurance Company has 34 representative offices, 2 branches, and more than 20 agency sales centers throughout the country.
