Transmission system operators (TSOs) of Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania launched the first monthly auctions for the allocation of cross-border capacity on Monday, according to Ukrenergo.
They are being held on December 15-17 on the Joint Allocation Office (JAO) platform with delivery in January 2026. The final results of the auctions are to be announced on December 23. According to information on the JAO, the capacity of the interconnection with Hungary is 460 MW, with Romania and Slovakia – 172 MW each. No interconnection capacity is offered from Ukraine.
“Long-term auctions for the allocation of cross-border transmission capacity are definitely beneficial for the Ukrainian electricity market. In the context of massive Russian attacks on our energy system, we really need confidence in a stable supply of electricity imports every month,” commented Vitaliy Zaychenko, chairman of the board of Ukrenergo, whose words are quoted in the company’s Telegram message.
“We are grateful to our partners at ENTSO-E and the JAO auction platform, as well as our colleagues from the energy system operators of neighboring EU countries for their effective cooperation. We hope that it will continue and that annual auctions will also be introduced in the future,” said Zaychenko.
According to NEC, the introduction of such auctions was made possible thanks to cooperation with TSOs of neighboring countries and with the support of the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E). Work on the rules for long-term allocation for the EU’s external borders has been ongoing for the past two years.
“After these rules were approved by the national regulators of Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, it became possible to allocate free capacity at inter-state crossings through monthly long-term auctions. For Ukraine, this means more effective price forecasting and, in the long term, a reduction in the cost of imported electricity,” Ukrenergo explained.
As noted in the report, on a global scale, monthly auctions contribute to closer integration of the Ukrainian and European energy markets and ensure greater stability of Ukraine’s integrated energy system.
As reported, with the start of a full-scale invasion, given the military risks, ENTSO-E agreed only to daily auctions for the distribution of inter-state cross-border capacity for import and export operations with electricity.
At the same time, traders and energy companies have repeatedly pointed out that the absence of long-term auctions, in particular monthly and annual ones, hinders the effective attraction of imported electricity.
In early December, Vitaliy Zaychenko, Chairman of the Board of NEC Ukrenergo, told Energorforma that he expects the first long-term (monthly) auctions for the distribution of inter-state crossings with Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia since the start of the war to be successful.
“I think these auctions will take place. The market is definitely waiting for long-term auctions. Therefore, I think that the entire proposed cross-border capacity will be sold,” he said.
“Unfortunately, there will be no auctions in Poland because the Polish transmission system operator does not give its consent,” added the head of Ukrenergo.
It should be noted that the auctions launched today are joint, i.e., they are held simultaneously by both operators. The TSO agreed on this mechanism in 2023, and so far, daily auctions have been held under it. Monthly auctions were previously held in Moldova and Poland (Dobrotvir-Zamosc crossing), where unilateral auctions are still in place instead of joint ones.
In January-November 2025, Ukraine increased imports of lead and lead products by 6.1 times, to $7.323 million. In November, lead imports amounted to $436,000.
At the same time, exports of lead and lead products during this period decreased by 17.6% to $8.911 million. In November, exports amounted to $738,000.
In 2024, the country increased imports of lead and lead products by 2.4 times, to $2.391 million, while exports decreased by 22.9%, to $11.401 million.
In 2023, compared to the previous year, less lead and lead products were imported into Ukraine — $989 thousand (-65.2%), while exports increased by 23.5% to $14.778 million.
Lead is currently mainly used in the production of lead-acid batteries for the automotive industry. In addition, lead is used in the manufacture of bullets and certain alloys.
Insurance company INGO compensated UAH 116.4 million for military risks in Ukraine in January-November 2025, which is almost three times more than last year, according to the insurer’s information.
At the same time, it is noted that in total, over two years, the company compensated more than UAH 162 million in losses caused by hostilities.
The bulk of the compensation consists of damage to property, real estate, motor vehicles, and cargo. The payments were financed mainly from the company’s own capital without the participation of reinsurers. A significant increase in payments falls on the corporate sector, where most large objects are concentrated and, accordingly, higher risks.
The company reports that in most cases the damage is partial. For motor vehicles, typical damage includes broken windows, holes from debris, and body deformation. For residential properties, damage includes windows, doors, roofs, and facades, as well as damage to interior finishes, furniture, and appliances. In commercial real estate, the scale of damage varies significantly: from damaged warehouses and logistics hubs to complex technical facilities, where the consequences depend on the specifics of the enterprise itself.
According to the information, the increase in payments is primarily due to the expansion of the portfolio: enterprises and individuals are insuring more properties. While in 2024, war risk coverage was included for about 150 commercial real estate properties, in 2025, there were already more than 230.
The number of insured cargoes with war risks increased by 1.4 times, and motor vehicles – almost twice. During this time, INGO’s total liability for war risks increased from UAH 12.1 billion to over UAH 26.5 billion. Individuals are also insuring their homes more actively: the number of insured households increased from 4,400 to almost 6,000, and the total liability under contracts rose from UAH 4.34 billion to over UAH 7.7 billion.
In addition, the growth in the volume of payments is influenced not only by the size of the portfolio, but also by the intensity of Russian air attacks and the increase in insurance amounts. Both private owners and companies are increasingly choosing higher limits of protection, especially when it comes to large or capital-intensive objects. INGO notes that the ability to offer such limits in 2025 is ensured, in particular, by working with international reinsurance markets. The company assures that it has objects in its portfolio that are reinsured on the London market, with a total liability of over UAH 2.6 billion.
“We see that international reinsurers, primarily the London market, are working with Ukrainian risks much more confidently than a year ago,” said Andriy Semchenko, chairman of the board of INGO Insurance Company.
“This is the result of the emergence of comprehensive statistics, high-quality underwriting, and real payout cases. The AON and EBRD program has been launched, which supports the insurance of vehicle fleets, rail transport, equipment, and cargo with the option of storage in ports. For businesses, this means protection with a limit of EUR 2 million per case under the AON/EBRD program and $4-5 million in the case of real estate insurance with reinsurance on the London market. There are also opportunities for higher limits, but reinsurers are cautious about concentrating risk on a single object,” he explained.
In November 2025, banks increased lending by 2.6%, or UAH 33.5 billion, to UAH 1 trillion 347.5 billion, and increased the deposit base by 0.9%, or UAH 27.1 billion, to UAH 2 trillion 982.1 billion, according to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
According to the regulator, the main growth in the loan portfolio was provided by the corporate segment, where the volume of loans increased by 2.6%, or UAH 25.4 billion, to UAH 995.5 billion.
Hryvnia loans to businesses increased by 2.5%, or UAH 17.1 billion, to UAH 706.9 billion, while foreign currency loans increased by 2.4%, or $160 million, to $6.84 billion.
Households also increased their loans by 2.6%, or UAH 8.6 billion, to UAH 343.5 billion.
The increase in deposits in November is associated with an increase in the volume of deposits from individuals: hryvnia deposits grew by 1.1%, or UAH 14.9 billion, to UAH 1 trillion 355.5 billion, while foreign currency deposits increased by 0.9%, or $95 million, to $10.66 billion in dollar terms.
As for legal entities, their hryvnia deposits increased in November by 0.7%, or UAH 11.4 billion, to UAH 1 trillion 555.8 billion, while foreign currency deposits decreased by 5.9%, or $615 million, to $9.78 billion.
The National Bank noted that during the month, the dollar exchange rate rose to 42.1928 UAH/$1 from 41.9701 UAH/$1, with a historic low of 42.4015 UAH/$1 recorded on November 26.
Since the beginning of the year, the volume of hryvnia loans to legal entities has increased by 21.5%, and loans to the population – by 25.3%. As for foreign currency loans, businesses increased them by 13.7%, while the population reduced them by 11.1% – to $237 million.
Hryvnia deposits of legal entities have grown by 2.7% since the beginning of the year, while foreign currency deposits have decreased by 3.0%. The population has increased its hryvnia deposits by 14.0% over 11 months, and foreign currency deposits by 7.5%.
According to Serbian Economist, Saudi company Midad Energy is considered one of the main contenders for the purchase of foreign assets of Russian oil company LUKOIL, which include retail assets in Serbia, Reuters reports, citing sources.
According to the agency, this involves LUKOIL’s international asset portfolio, with an estimated value of around $22 billion, which includes oil and gas fields, oil refineries, and a network of gas stations in approximately 20 countries. The sale is linked to tough US and UK sanctions against the company, imposed in October 2025.
Reuters notes that Midad Energy CEO Abdulelah Al-Aiban is the brother of Saudi Arabia’s national security adviser Musaed Al-Aiban. According to sources, the company is preparing a cash offer with funds placed in an escrow account until the sanctions against LUKOIL are lifted.
In addition to Midad Energy, ExxonMobil, Chevron, private investment fund Carlyle Group, Emirati conglomerate International Holding Company (IHC), Hungarian MOL, trader Gunvor, Xtellus Partners bank (together with a group of investors led by Todd Boehly and the Emirati Allied Investment Partners), Abu Dhabi state-owned company ADNOC, and Austrian entrepreneur Bernd Bergmeier.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/1949
Business activity in the euro area at the end of 2025 grew weaker than expected amid a deepening recession in manufacturing and slower growth in the dominant services sector, according to preliminary data from the business activity index (PMI) prepared by HCOB and S&P Global.
According to the assessment, the HCOB Flash Eurozone Composite PMI declined to 51.9 points in December from 52.8 points in November, falling to its lowest level in three months and below the forecast of analysts polled by Reuters. The value above 50 points still indicates an increase in business activity.
The situation in industry continues to drag the index down: the eurozone manufacturing PMI in December fell to 49.2 points, the lowest since April, reflecting the continued decline in output and a steeper new orders slump, the largest since February. Deepening weakness in German industry was cited as the main factor, while France showed cautious signs
In the services sector, business activity is still picking up but the pace is slowing, with the services PMI down to 52.6 points from 53.6 points in November. Meanwhile, companies continue to increase employment, but business optimism fell to its lowest level since May, indicating that businesses are cautious about the outlook for 2026.
According to a Reuters poll of analysts, rising cost pressures and output prices at the end of the year do not change the overall picture: inflation in the eurozone has moved closer to the 2% target on average, and the market in the baseline scenario expects the European Central Bank’s key rates to remain unchanged until at least 2027.
