Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

OpenAI May Postpone Its IPO Until 2027 Due to Market Conditions

OpenAI is considering postponing its initial public offering until 2027, Reuters reports, citing The New York Times.
According to the NYT, the company’s advisors have presented management with two possible scenarios: go public earlier but accept a lower valuation, or wait until 2027 to try to maintain a target valuation of up to $1 trillion.
Sources familiar with the matter told the publication that OpenAI has already hired financial advisors and lawyers to prepare for the IPO and had previously been targeting a listing in the third or fourth quarter of 2026. However, the advisors warned management that, given the volatility of the tech market, investors may be less willing to support a listing at the highest possible valuation.
According to the NYT, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman opposed lowering the target valuation and insisted that the consultants explore the possibility of taking the company public at a valuation of around $1 trillion. OpenAI’s most recent private valuation, according to media reports, was approximately $730 billion.
Reuters also notes that OpenAI had previously considered filing with regulators in the second half of 2026. Initial discussions centered on raising at least $60 billion, though the timing, size of the offering, and valuation could change depending on market conditions and the company’s growth rate.
OpenAI’s potential IPO could become one of the largest offerings in the history of the tech sector and a major test for the entire artificial intelligence market. Investors will evaluate not only revenue growth rates but also spending on computing infrastructure, dependence on major partners, competition with Google, Anthropic, Meta, and other players, as well as the company’s ability to monetize demand for AI services.
The delayed IPO may also send a signal to the broader market: despite high interest in artificial intelligence, investors are becoming more cautious about the valuations of fast-growing AI companies. Following strong growth in the tech sector, the market increasingly demands not only user scale and technological leadership but also a clear financial model.
OpenAI was founded in 2015 and became one of the key players in the global artificial intelligence market following the launch of ChatGPT. The company develops the GPT family of models, enterprise AI products, developer tools, and infrastructure partnerships to scale computing power.

 

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Restrictions on Freight Traffic Have Been Imposed in Kyiv Due to Heat

Restrictions on freight traffic have been imposed in Kyiv due to the heat, according to the patrol police.

“To preserve the road surface, trucks are prohibited from traveling when the air temperature reaches +28 degrees Celsius or higher. The ban applies to vehicles with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 24 metric tons and an axle load exceeding 7 metric tons,” according to a statement on the police’s Telegram channel.

The police report that drivers can wait out the hot period at temporary parking areas in the road shoulders and near roadside service facilities.

 

Spain Has Seen Sharp Decline in Tourist Rental Supply

The short-term tourist rental market in Spain is experiencing its largest decline in recent years: the number of listings on digital platforms in May 2026 fell by 10.7% year-over-year, according to the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE).

According to INE data, 40,836 thousand tourist accommodations were removed from the market over the course of the year. This marked the second-sharpest decline in supply in the agency’s history of compiling such statistics.

Despite the year-over-year decline, by the start of the peak summer season, the market had partially recovered compared to November 2025: supply increased by 3.4%, or 11,237 thousand units. In May, Spain had 341,001 thousand active tourist accommodations, which collectively provided 1.71 million beds. On average, each property had about five beds.

The decline in supply affected all of the country’s major tourist regions. The most significant decline was recorded in the Valencian Community, where the market lost nearly 12 thousand properties over the year, and the total number of active listings fell to 51,268 thousand. As a result, the region ceded second place in terms of supply to Catalonia.

Andalusia, despite a decrease of 5,527 thousand properties, retained its status as Spain’s largest vacation rental market, with 90,649 thousand apartments and villas. Catalonia lost 5,546 thousand properties but remained among the leaders with 51,3 thousand active listings.

The island markets also saw a decline. In the Canary Islands, the number of properties fell by 2,33 thousand to 48,356 thousand, while in the Balearic Islands, it dropped by 3,057 thousand to 21,304 thousand listings.

At the provincial level, the largest markets remain the tourist coastlines. Málaga leads with 45,176 thousand properties, followed by Alicante with 32,148 thousand and Las Palmas with 26,998 thousand.

When looking at individual municipalities, the largest concentration of tourist accommodations is in Madrid—10,836 thousand properties. Next are the city of Málaga—8,288 thousand, Barcelona—8,231 thousand, Marbella—6,987 thousand, and Seville—6,937 thousand properties.

Analysts attribute the decline in supply to stricter municipal regulations, license revocations, and growing political pressure on the short-term rental sector. In Spain, the conflict between the tourism industry, property owners, and local residents—who are facing a shortage of affordable long-term rentals and rising prices in major cities and resort areas—has been intensifying for several years.

For the real estate market, this signals a shift in phase. Tourist rentals remain a profitable segment, but they are becoming more heavily regulated and riskier for investors. Whereas high occupancy rates and tourist traffic were once the key factors, licenses, municipal restrictions, the legal status of the property, and the location’s resilience to potential bans are now increasingly important.

For real estate buyers in Spain, this is an important signal: a property that was previously viewed as a short-term rental vehicle may lose some of its investment appeal if local regulations change. This is especially true in overheated tourist areas, where authorities are most actively restricting short-term rentals.

At the same time, a reduction in the supply of tourist apartments could support the hotel and aparthotel market, as well as partially return some housing to the long-term rental market. However, this is unlikely to quickly solve the problem of housing affordability: demand for housing in major cities and tourist regions remains high, while new supply is limited.

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Bulgaria’s housing market has faced overheated prices amid decline in number of transactions

In the first quarter of 2026, the real estate market in neighboring Bulgaria faced a sharp disconnect between rising prices and actual buyer activity: housing prices continue to rise at double-digit rates, but the number of transactions is declining significantly, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Bulgaria.

According to statistics, residential real estate prices in Bulgaria rose by 14.8% year-over-year in the first quarter. In the first three months of the year alone, the national average price increased by another 6.2%. At the same time, the number of transactions involving new and existing homes fell by 18.5% year-over-year and by nearly 20% compared to the previous quarter.

This disparity points to a phase of price overheating: sellers continue to set high price expectations, while buyers are increasingly postponing transactions. The market is influenced by a combination of several factors—expectations following Bulgaria’s transition to the euro, low mortgage rates, rising construction costs, and limited high-quality supply in major cities and along the coast.

Burgas led the price increases, with prices rising 17.7% year-over-year and 5.9% quarter-over-quarter. At the same time, this very market saw one of the sharpest declines in activity: the number of transactions fell by 30.5% year-over-year. This means that demand along the coast has become significantly more price-sensitive.

In Sofia, housing prices rose by 16% year-over-year and by 5.8% quarter-over-quarter. Average prices in the capital settled in the range of 1.8–2.6 thousand euros per square meter. At the same time, the volume of transactions in Sofia fell by 19.2%, and the market’s total transaction value decreased by 7%.

Varna also remained in the double-digit price growth range: housing prices rose by 13.2% year-over-year, but the number of transactions fell by 27.6%. In Stara Zagora, annual price growth stood at 12.7%, though the number of transactions fell by 25%. On a quarterly basis, housing prices in Stara Zagora declined by 2.1%.

Plovdiv appears to be the most stable among the major markets. Prices there rose by 8.8% over the year, while the number of transactions fell by only 0.6%. In monetary terms, the Plovdiv market even grew by 2.4%, making it the most balanced among Bulgaria’s major cities.

For investors, the situation is becoming more challenging. Rapid price growth amid a decline in the number of transactions means that market liquidity is deteriorating: a property may be gaining value on paper, but selling it at the desired price is becoming more difficult. This is especially true for locations where prices have risen faster than household incomes and rental yields.

For a long time, the Bulgarian housing market was supported by relatively affordable mortgages, an influx of foreign buyers, interest in resort real estate, and expectations related to the country’s accession to the eurozone. However, current statistics show that purchasing power is already approaching its limit.

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Kredobank and EBRD have signed agreements totaling EUR100 mln to provide business loans

Kredobank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed two risk-sharing agreements during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) in Gdańsk for new loan portfolios to Ukrainian businesses totaling EUR100 million, the Ukrainian bank’s press service reported.

“The additional EUR100 million from the EBRD will allow Kredobank to expand lending to Ukrainian companies not only in the small and medium-sized business sector but also in the corporate segment,” the press release quoted Jakub Karnowski, the bank’s chairman of the board, as saying.
One of the agreements covers a EUR60 million loan portfolio for small and medium-sized enterprises with annual revenue of up to EUR50 million and up to 250 employees.

It is being implemented under two programs: the EBRD’s “Resilience and Livelihoods Guarantee” (RLG) and the program to support the competitiveness and inclusion of small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries.
Under the RLG, the EBRD’s share of risk-sharing will be up to 70%, and the term of the guarantee coverage will be five years.

The program to support the competitiveness and inclusion of small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries enables Kredobank’s clients to receive grant support of up to 30% for investment projects that meet the EBRD’s requirements.
The EUR60 million agreement also provides for the use of the Enterprise Security Enhancement (ESE) mechanism, which will allow Kredobank to partially write off the debt of companies whose assets were damaged as a result of the war.

Under the second agreement, implemented through the RLG program, a EUR40 million loan portfolio is provided for large companies with no restrictions on revenue or number of employees. The EBRD’s share of risk-sharing will be up to 80%, the guarantee period will be five years, and the maximum amount of a single loan will be EUR4 million.
Both agreements provide for the possibility of lending without additional collateral.

According to Karnovski, the volume of financing for Ukrainian companies within Kredobank’s portfolio, which is covered by the EBRD’s limits and guarantees, has already reached EUR249 million. The funds were directed, in particular, to agriculture, the food industry, logistics, and retail.
As of the beginning of the year, according to information on the EBRD’s website, Kredobank served over 54,000 SME and corporate clients and over 550,000 retail clients.

According to the regulator, as of May 1, 2026, the bank ranked 14th (76.94 billion UAH) among Ukraine’s 58 solvent banks in terms of total assets.

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AMCU has authorized Credit Agricole Bank to acquire Bank “Lviv”

The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has authorized Credit Agricole Bank to acquire control over Bank “Lviv.”

The committee adopted the decision at a meeting on Thursday following its review of the bank’s application dated May 13, 2026.

The AMCU also authorized Credit Agricole Bank and six shareholders of Bank Lviv—who collectively own 99.972126% of its shares—to fulfill the non-solicitation, non-hiring, and non-competition provisions set forth in the purchase and sale agreement.

As previously reported, in March 2026, Credit Agricole Bank signed an agreement to acquire up to 100% of the share capital of Bank Lviv. The transaction amount was not disclosed. Its completion also depends on obtaining approval from the National Bank of Ukraine.

Credit Agricole Bank plans to leverage Bank Lviv’s regional expertise to develop the small and medium-sized business segment, with a focus on the agricultural sector throughout Ukraine.

Combining their assets would enable Credit Agricole to enter the top ten banks in Ukraine, displacing OTP Bank from that ranking.

Credit Agricole Bank was founded in 1993. Its sole shareholder is Credit Agricole S.A. (France).

According to the National Bank, as of May 1, 2026, the bank ranked 11th (UAH 135.98 billion) in terms of total assets among Ukraine’s 58 solvent banks.

As of January 1 of this year, according to information on the National Bank’s website, the largest shareholder of Bank Lviv was responsAbility Participations—41.151580%—in which, notably, KfW Bankengruppe (Germany) holds 19.23%, Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft—14.4%, PKE-CPE Vorsorgestiftung Energie – 14.81%, Pensionskasse der F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG – 10.31%, Previs Vorsorge – 7.20%, and Providentia AG – 5.76% (all five based in Switzerland).

In addition, through a series of entities, Icelandic citizen Margheir Petursson was a major shareholder—holding 27.937421%—as was the Dutch state investment fund DGGF, which invested EUR 4.5 million in the bank’s capital in the summer of 2024—holding 20.492129%, and another 10.390996% was held by NEFCO (Nordic Environment Finance Corporation).

As of May 1, 2026, Bank Lviv ranked 24th in terms of total assets—18.89 billion UAH.

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