China in November increased steelmaking by 2.5% YoY against the same month last year – up to 78.4 million tons, according to the State Statistics Office of the country. Meanwhile, relative to October, production decreased by 4.3%.
In January-November, steel output decreased by 2.7% YoY and amounted to 929.19 million tons.
The production of pig iron in China last month amounted to 67.5 million tons, which is 4.1% more than a year earlier, but 3.9% lower than in October. The country produced 782.8 million tons of pig iron in the eleven-month period, down 3.5% from the volume for the same period in 2023.
China has been the world’s biggest steel producer for years.
On December 15, the Kyiv Event Hall by Ramada Encore hosted an outstanding event – the annual SBC Ukraine Awards ceremony. Among the partners of the event, a special place was taken by HITBIT PRO, which presented its innovative cryptocard and confirmed its status as a technological leader in Ukraine.
HITBIT PRO is a Ukrainian startup created by Igor Kucherenko and Dmitry Nikiforov that is changing the way people think about the convenience of financial transactions. Their main product – a cryptocard – allows you to pay for purchases in cryptocurrency, exchange and withdraw funds directly through POS terminals in any country in the world.
At the event, the HITBIT PRO team presented an interactive stand where guests had the opportunity to see the product in action. Visitors were able to register, order a card, and try out real-time payment. This demonstration caused a real sensation among the participants of the SBC Ukraine Awards.
“Our mission is to make financial transactions simple, convenient and accessible to everyone. We are proud that our product represents Ukraine in the global financial arena,” said Igor Kucherenko, co-founder of HITBIT PRO.
HITBIT PRO has received positive feedback not only from business representatives, but also from marketing agencies that already see the prospects of cooperation with such an innovative product. Thanks to such initiatives, SBC Ukraine Awards is becoming a platform for discovering new ideas and solutions in the field of sports, business, and technology.
CRYPTO CARD, DMITRY NIKIFOROV, HitBit Pro, MASTERCARD, Ігор Кучеренко
The first agreement under the state program “eHouse” for the purchase of an apartment in the house under construction in the eco-city Lucky Land by DIM was signed on Tuesday, December 17, the DIM press service reported.
“Signing an agreement to buy an apartment in the modern eco-city Lucky Land with the help of the state program eOselya is an important step towards providing affordable housing for many of our clients and confirming the reliability and transparency of DIM, because during accreditation, banks check the developer very carefully,” Olga Arbuzova, head of sales at Lucky Land, commented on the event, according to the report.
The state program of affordable mortgage lending “eOselya” has been launched in Ukraine since October 2022. Contract servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, employees of the security and defense sector, medical workers, teachers, and researchers can apply for a preferential mortgage at 3% per annum for up to 20 years with a down payment of 20% of the cost of housing.
Starting from August 1, 2023, war veterans, combatants, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and citizens who do not have their own housing over the standard area can apply for the program at 7%.
Lucky Land (6 Berkovetska St.) is a comfort-class residential complex designed as a multifunctional area with developed infrastructure. It includes 23 buildings with a height of 13-14 floors, a total of 5183 apartments, with a guest parking lot for 2.5 thousand and an underground parking lot for 356 cars.
DIM Group was founded in 2014 and specializes in a full cycle of development, including design, construction, and property management. During this time, the company has commissioned 15 buildings in eight residential complexes, a total of 3,640 apartments, and built more than 332.7 thousand square meters of residential and commercial space. Six residential complexes of the comfort+ and business class categories are under construction: “Metropolis, Park Lake City, Lucky Land, A136 Highlight Tower, Olegiv Podil, and The One.
It joined the state program of affordable housing lending “eOselya” in the spring of this year. SKY Bank, a partner bank of the state program for affordable lending, has accredited DIM’s residential complexes, which are at the final stage of construction, for participation in the eHouse program: houses No. 4 and No. 6 in Lucky Land and house No. 3 in Metropolis in Kyiv.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/economic/1034879.html
The Export Credit Agency of Ukraine (ECA) has supported exports worth UAH 7.22 billion in 11 months of 2024, First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko said.
“Supporting and developing non-resource exports is one of the key areas of the Made in Ukraine policy. Over eleven months, the ECA has insured UAH 1 billion of export credits, supporting UAH 7.22 billion of exports. This is almost UAH 2 billion more than in January-November 2023. It is important that one hryvnia of insurance liability was converted into UAH 7.83 of future export revenue,” the press service of the Ministry of Economy quoted the Deputy Prime Minister as saying.
According to the Ministry, the top three regions in terms of exports supported over 11 months are as follows: Kyiv – UAH 3.8 billion (UAH 304 million of loans issued), Lviv – UAH 1.25 billion (UAH 147 million), Vinnytsia – UAH 702.8 million (UAH 183 million).
In 2024, eight banks insured their clients’ loans with the ECA. Ukrgasbank ranked first in terms of supported exports for the period under review (UAH 2.9 billion), FUIB was second (UAH 1.78 billion), and MTB Bank was third (UAH 980 million).
The most popular countries for exporting Ukrainian goods are Poland, the UAE, Azerbaijan, Germany, and Slovakia.
The largest export volumes were in the commodity groups of milk and dairy products, wood and wood products, and processed fruits and vegetables.
The ECA instruments are one of the elements of the “Made in Ukraine” policy, which was presented by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February. Its goal is to support non-resource exports, develop production and attract investment in the real sector, the Ministry of Economy reminded.
In 2024, Kyivstar strengthened its support for the culture of corporate volunteering among its employees, believing in the power of small actions that can change the world for the better. The Kyivstar team joined the implementation of socially important projects and raised UAH 3 million to help the military, children and victims of war during the full-scale war.
Kyivstar’s large volunteer community regularly supports the company’s social initiatives. One of the key areas is corporate donation. This year, employees donated about 100 liters of blood to save the lives of civilians and soldiers.
A special initiative this year was a project in partnership with the SOS Children’s Villages charity. On Christmas Eve, the company’s employees made the dreams of more than 100 young Ukrainians come true. These are children and teenagers from vulnerable and internally displaced families affected by the war, as well as children from foster care from different parts of Ukraine. The employees not only donated gifts but also organized jewelry making workshops in Brovary, Kyiv and Lviv, where they participated together with the children.
“We believe that change starts with each of us. Corporate volunteering has become an integral part of Kyivstar’s culture. Our colleagues do not just support the company’s initiatives, they inspire and engage others in doing good deeds. I thank our entire team for this. Together we can do more,” comments Olesya Olenytska, Kyivstar’s Director of Corporate Communications.
Employees also join the company’s meetings. “As part of the Children’s Hope project, our volunteers raised about UAH 300 thousand for an ultrasound system for the burn department of the Unbreakable rehabilitation center. They also supported the company’s joint project with the Come Back Alive Foundation to demine the country – We Live Here 2.0.
The company’s internal social network has a group for mutual assistance, where employees regularly initiate and close each other’s meetings for various needs: assistance to the Armed Forces, health issues.
Kyivstar continues to develop a culture of corporate volunteering, inspiring its employees and partners to new achievements and supporting Ukrainian society in difficult times of war.
About Kyivstar
Kyivstar is Ukraine’s largest electronic communications operator, serving about 23.3 million mobile subscribers and more than 1.1 million Home Internet subscribers as of September 2024. The company provides services using a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, Cloud solutions, cybersecurity services, digital TV, etc. Kyivstar is developing new telecom technologies in Ukraine and plans to invest USD 1 billion in this area in 2023-2027. THE COMPANY PLANS TO INVEST USD 1 BILLION IN THIS AREA. The company helps Ukraine overcome wartime challenges and has allocated over UAH 2 billion over the past two years to support the Armed Forces, subscribers, and social projects. Kyivstar’s shareholder is the international VEON Group. The Group’s shares are listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange (New York). Kyivstar has been operating in Ukraine for 27 years and is recognized as the largest taxpayer in the electronic communications market, the best employer and a socially responsible company. For more information: pr@kyivstar.net, www.kyivstar.ua
In January-November 2024, Ruta, a major Ukrainian manufacturer of sanitary and hygienic paper products, whose management company is VGP JSC (Lutsk), produced products worth UAH 1 billion 588 million, up 7.7% compared to the same period in 2023.
According to statistics provided by UkrPapir Association to Interfax-Ukraine, the company has thus slightly accelerated the positive dynamics of production volumes over the first 11 months of the year compared to the same period last year, which it reached in the first nine months.
In physical terms, the company’s production of toilet paper in rolls slightly exceeded the previous year’s figure and amounted to 121.68 million units, which remains the third best result in the industry after Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill (248 million units) and Kokhava Paper Mill (125 million units).
The company produces pulp-based sanitary and hygienic products from imported base paper.
VGP’s portfolio includes dry and wet wipes, toilet paper, paper handkerchiefs, and kitchen towels. The assortment includes more than 180 items.
As reported, in 2023, VGP JSC produced products worth UAH 1 billion 611 million, which is 64.8% more than in 2022.
