In January 2026, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) reduced foreign exchange interventions by $14 million, or 0.4%, compared to January last year, to $3 billion 375.5 million, while the official hryvnia exchange rate depreciated against the dollar by 2.5%, or UAH 1.2.
At the same time, in the last week of January, the NBU reduced dollar sales on the interbank market by $202.1 million, or 19%, to $859.5 million.
According to the National Bank, in the first four days of last week, the average daily negative balance of buying and selling foreign currency by legal entities decreased to $95.5 million from $137.6 million in the same period a week earlier and totaled $381.8 million.
The negative balance in the market of foreign exchange transactions of households for Saturday-Thursday also decreased to $34.0 million from $36.4 million the week before last, with sales of non-cash currency exceeding purchases on all days.
The official hryvnia/dollar exchange rate, which started last week at 43.1391 UAH/$1, strengthened to 42.7689 UAH/$1 over three days and ended the week at 42.8483 UAH/$1.
In the cash market, the dollar’s exchange rate last week followed the trajectory of the official rate. In total, the dollar fell by about 27 kopecks during this period: buying – to 42.70 UAH/$1, selling – to 43.07 UAH/$1.
According to analysts of KYT Group, a major participant in the cash foreign exchange market (Liberty Finance LLC), the key event on the international market in the second half of January was the Fed meeting: the regulator, as expected by the markets, left the base rate unchanged, actually taking a break after three consecutive cuts in 2025.
Against this backdrop, the dollar weakened against the euro throughout the month (EUR/USD reached 1.2038, followed by a pullback), while US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric pushed investors to defensive assets, which supported the euro.
In the domestic market, analysts believe that the NBU will continue its policy of managed exchange rate flexibility, while at the same time expecting that the projected amount of foreign aid will be sufficient to finance the budget deficit without issuing new debt and maintain international reserves at a level sufficient to maintain the stability of the foreign exchange market. An additional factor for market expectations was the central bank’s decision to start an interest rate easing cycle and cut the key policy rate from 15.5% to 15% starting January 30, 2026.
According to KYT Group’s forecasts, in the next one to two weeks, the dollar will remain in the basic range of 42.9-43.4 UAH/$1 with the risk of fluctuations towards a weaker hryvnia, in the medium term of two to three months – 43.50-44.00 UAH/$1, while in the first half of 2026, the benchmark remains
43.5-44.9 UAH/$1.
PJSC Neftekhimik Prykarpattya (Nadvirna, Ivano-Frankivsk region) will hold a remote general meeting of shareholders on February 20, 2026, by means of a survey, according to the company’s announcement.
According to the document, the date of compiling the list of shareholders entitled to participate in the meeting is February 17, 2026. Voting will take place by ballots through depository institutions: the placement of a single ballot is scheduled for February 10 (no later than 11:00), and the ballots will be accepted until February 20 at 18:00.
The draft agenda, in particular, includes the consideration of the reports of the management and supervisory boards for 2018-2024, approval of annual reports and results of financial and economic activities for 2018-2024 (including the procedure for covering losses), appointment of an auditor, and cancellation of the current principles (code) of corporate governance.
The shareholders are also invited to consider a decision to change the name and type of the company, amend the charter (new version), approve updated regulations, and take measures to improve the financial condition. Separate paragraphs include the issue of applying to the commercial court to open bankruptcy proceedings, initiating preventive restructuring and possible liquidation of the company.
PJSC Neftekhimik Prykarpattya is an oil refinery located in Nadvirna (Ivano-Frankivsk region). According to open registers, the State Property Fund of Ukraine with a 26% stake is listed among the owners of large stakes in the company.
The National Bank of Ukraine has expanded the scope of the license for direct insurance activities of Insurance Company Vostok-West LLC (Kiev) on the basis of the company’s application, the regulator said.
Thus, the company has obtained the right to carry out direct insurance under insurance class 13 “Insurance of other liability (except as defined in classes 10, 11, 12)” on the risk of insurance of liability to third parties, other than the liability of the operator of a nuclear installation for nuclear damage that may be caused as a result of a nuclear incident, with restrictions and features that give grounds for the application of a simplified approach for the calculation of solvency capital and minimum capital.
According to the information, the structure of the company’s insurance portfolio for the first nine months of 2025 by client component is as follows: 99% of insurance payments were received from policyholders – individuals, and from legal entities – 1%. Along with insurance of agricultural products (99%), property insurance remains the priority direction.
The volume of insurance premiums in the mentioned period has amounted to UAH 12,838 mln, insurance reserves – UAH 9,649 mln. The volume of insurance indemnities for the nine months of 2025 compared to the same period of 2024 has increased by 40%.
IC “Vostok-West” has been working in the insurance market of Ukraine since 2005.
In December 2025, Express Insurance settled 235 insurance claims under compulsory civil liability insurance (CMTPL) for a total of UAH 10.3 million, which is 13% more than in November of the same year, according to the insurer’s website.
It is also noted that in 47% of cases, the victims filed insurance claims with the participation of the police, and another 53% were filed under the Europrotocol procedure, with the maximum compensation amounting to UAH 131,500. Among the insurance claims settled in December, the largest payment involving the police was UAH 250,000.
“This structure of settlements indicates an increase in drivers’ confidence in simplified procedures for reporting traffic accidents and their active use in practice,” the information emphasizes.
In total, over the 12 months of 2025, the number of settled insurance events under MTPL amounted to 2,442 thousand for a total amount of UAH 102.9 million.
Express Insurance LLC was founded in 2008 with the participation of the leader of the Ukrainian automotive market, UkrAvto Group. The company specializes in auto insurance.
The company is represented in more than 60 points of sale throughout Ukraine and is actively expanding its network of partner service stations. Today, the number of service station partners exceeds 100.
According to Serbian Economist, the European Commission is preparing decisions within the framework of the new EU visa strategy, which should alleviate some of the problems for carriers from the Western Balkan countries amid the ongoing blockades of freight terminals on the borders with the European Union.
Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Hena Virkkunen said that the EC is aware of the difficulties faced by transport operators in the region due to the application of Schengen rules and stressed that the Entry/Exit System (EES) does not introduce new requirements for short stays. EES) does not introduce new requirements for short-term stays. At the same time, she said, the European Commission is seeking “more flexibility without compromising security” and “is addressing this issue as part of its visa strategy.”
In recent days, truck drivers in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia have been blocking access to freight terminals on the EU border in protest against stricter enforcement of the 90-day stay rule within a 180-day period in the Schengen area, which, according to business estimates, leads to the detention and deportation of drivers and increases costs for carriers.
Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Marko Čadež previously stated that the blockades are estimated to have halted up to 93% of exports from the countries involved and caused daily losses of around €92 million, with companies incurring additional penalties for delivery disruptions.
The European Commission has indicated that the problem also affects other “highly mobile” professions, and solutions will be developed as part of a new visa strategy.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2196
Chinese smartphone manufacturers have notified their partners of an increase in purchase prices, which could result in retail prices for devices rising by 15-30%, with smartphones bearing the new price tags going on sale in March-April 2026.
The most significant price increases are expected in the mid-range and high-end segments, as well as for models with increased built-in memory and storage capacity. Market participants cite the rising cost of components responsible for device memory, primarily RAM and ROM modules, as one of the reasons for the price increases.
The backdrop for the price increase is being formed on the global memory market: due to rapid growth in demand from AI infrastructure, DRAM and NAND manufacturers are reallocating capacity in favor of more marginal solutions for data centers, which is squeezing supply for consumer electronics and supporting the growth of memory prices.
