Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Uzbekistan introduces “golden visas” for foreigners

Starting from June 1, 2025, Uzbekistan will introduce a simplified procedure for obtaining a 5-year residence permit for foreign citizens and stateless persons. This rule is enshrined in the presidential decree of April 18, the Ministry of Justice reports.

To obtain the document, the applicant must pay $200,000, as well as $100,000 for each family member – spouse, children and parents.

Currently, residence permits in Uzbekistan are issued to certain categories of citizens:

– foreign citizens or stateless persons permanently residing in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan – upon reaching the age of 16

– persons who have received a permanent residence permit in Uzbekistan in accordance with the procedure established by the Regulations, including persons who have returned to the country and whose Uzbek citizenship has been terminated by law;

– citizens of the countries included in the List of countries whose citizens are entitled to obtain a residence permit in Uzbekistan subject to the acquisition of real estate in Tashkent region and Tashkent city – for the equivalent of at least $300 thousand, Samarkand, Bukhara, Namangan, Andijan, Fergana and Khorezm regions – for the equivalent of at least $200 thousand, in Karakalpakstan and other regions of the republic – for the equivalent of at least $100 thousand;

– persons who permanently reside in Uzbekistan but have not acquired Uzbek citizenship or whose Uzbek citizenship has been terminated by law.

Programs under which foreign nationals are granted a residence permit in exchange for significant investments in the country’s economy are in place in a number of foreign countries (e.g., Portugal, Spain, UAE). Their goal is to attract capital and wealthy foreign investors to the country.

Source.

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Inflation in Hungary in 2025: trends, challenges and prospects

Experts Club Information and Analysis Center has analyzed the inflation rate in Hungary and its trends in Hungary in recent years. Inflation in Hungary in 2025 continues to decline after record highs in 2022-2023. As of March 2025, annual inflation stood at 4.7%, down from 5.6% in February.

The main drivers of inflation

The decline in inflation is due to stabilizing food and energy prices. However, rising rental prices and services continue to put pressure on the overall price level

Government and central bank measures

The central bank of Hungary maintains the key interest rate at 6.5% to contain inflationary pressures. The government is taking steps to control prices in key sectors of the economy.

Outlook

Experts expect inflation to continue to decline to around 3.5% in 2026, approaching the central bank’s targets

Year    Inflation (%)

2000    9,79

2001     9,15

2002     5,26

2003     4,66

2004    6,75

2005     3,56

2006     3,90

2007     7,95

2008     6,06

2009     4,20

2010     4,87

2011     3,93

2012     5,66

2013     1,71

2014     – 0,23

2015     -0,07

2016     0,40

2017     2,35

2018     2,84

2019     3,37

2020     3,33

2021     5,11

2022     14,61

2023     17,13

2024     3,8

2025     4.7 (March)

 

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AXOR Industry has invested EUR 40 mln in window and door hardware plant in Dnipro since 2011

AXOR Industry has invested a total of EUR 40 million in the launch, expansion and development of its window and door hardware plant in Dnipro since 2011, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko has announced.

“In 2011, AXOR built a plant in Dnipro, with initial investments of EUR 25 million. When a full-scale war broke out, the company not only maintained production but also continued to develop. In 2022-2023, it invested in new production facilities. Currently, the total investment amount is EUR40 million,” she wrote on her Facebook page on Monday.

According to the report, the plant in Dnipro has a capacity of 8 million sets of fittings per year. Svyrydenko emphasized that this is one of the largest plants of its kind in Eastern Europe. AXOR exports its products to 27 countries.

“I am sincerely grateful to AXOR Industry, which proves that war is not an embargo on investment. The private sector of other countries, despite the challenges, is ready to invest in our country right now,” she said.

According to Opendatabot, the founders of AXOR Industry LLC are Funama Holdings Limited (Cyprus), AMC Altus Assets Assets in the interests of Altus Industrial Mutual Fund (Dnipro) and Basera Holding Limited (Malta). The ultimate beneficiaries are Mustafa, Hassan and Oan Irem Basher, as well as Sofia Kononenko.

In addition, in 2024, Vadym Iermolaiev, the owner of Alef Corporation, who was included in the Ukrainian sanctions list for 10 years in 2023, was removed from the list of beneficiaries.

In 2024, AXOR Industry increased its revenue by 5.6% to UAH 627.8 million and its net profit by 18.4% to UAH 19.5 million.

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Industrial production in Croatia at beginning of 2025: moderate growth amid instability

Experts Club has published a study on the dynamics of industrial production in Croatia and its trends in recent years. In the beginning of 2025, industrial production in Croatia shows moderate growth, despite fluctuations in previous months. According to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, industrial production increased by 5.4% in February 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year. This is a slowdown compared to January 2025, when growth was 7.6%.

The following industries recorded the highest growth in February 2025.

  • Energy: up 27.8%
  • Production of capital goods: up 13.4%.
  • Production of intermediate goods: up 1.0%.

At the same time, consumer goods production declined:

  • Durable consumer goods: down 5.0%
  • Nondurable consumer goods: down by 3.0%.

Monthly trends

Compared to January 2025, industrial production fell 3.9% in February. This is the first decline in the last three months, indicating instability in the industrial sector.

Historical dynamics of industrial production (2000-2024)

Below are the dynamics of industrial production in Croatia for the period from 2000 to 2024:

  • 2000: growth of 4.6%
  • 2001: growth of 3.8%
  • 2002: growth of 1.7%
  • 2003: growth of 1.8%
  • 2004: growth of 2.1%
  • 2005: growth of 5.1%
  • 2006: growth of 4.5%
  • 2007: growth of 5.6%
  • 2008: growth of 1.6%
  • 2009: decrease of 9.2%
  • 2010: decrease of 1.5%
  • 2011: decrease of 1.2%
  • 2012: decrease by 5.5%
  • 2013: decrease by 2.0%
  • 2014: increase of 1.3%
  • 2015: increase by 2.7%
  • 2016: up by 5.0%
  • 2017: up 1.9%
  • 2018: decrease of 0.3%
  • 2019: growth of 0.5%
  • 2020: decrease of 3.4%
  • 2021: growth of 9.6%.

These data reflect fluctuations in Croatia’s industrial production over the last 25 years, with periods of both growth and decline.

Source: https://expertsclub.eu/prom%d1%8bshlennoe-proyzvodstvo-v-horvatyy-v-nachale-2025-goda-umerenn%d1%8bj-rost-na-fone-nestabylnosty/

 

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First Asian exhibition GITEX ASIA x AI Everything Singapore will be held in Singapore on April 23-25

The first Asian exhibition GITEX ASIA x AI Everything Singapore will be held in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands on April 23-25, 2025. The event will bring together over 700 technology companies and startups from more than 70 countries, as well as 250 investors with a total of over $200 billion in assets.

GITEX ASIA will become the largest platform in the region to showcase advances in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, digital healthcare, and sustainable smart cities. The forum will feature more than 180 hours of content with more than 320 speakers, including industry leaders such as Michael Sprenger (Sony AI), Dr. Anna Yip (Singtel), and Navneet Govil (SoftBank).

Special attention will be paid to startups: more than 500 startups from 60 countries will present their innovations at North Star Asia, and participants will be able to take part in the Supernova Challenge with a $100,000 prize pool.

GITEX (Gulf Information Technology Exhibition) was founded in 1981 in Dubai and has become the world’s largest technology event for 45 years. In 2024, GITEX Global attracted more than 200,000 participants and 6,500 companies from 180 countries.

The debut of GITEX in Asia emphasizes the region’s growing role in the global digital economy and the desire to strengthen cooperation in technology and innovation.

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Only half of top companies in transportation and logistics made profit last year

The total revenue of the top ten companies in this sector increased by 12%

According to the Opendatabot Index, the top ten companies in the transportation and logistics sector generated more than UAH 243 billion in total revenue last year. This is 12% more than in 2023. Only 5 out of 10 companies managed to make a profit that year.

According to the Opendatabot Index, the leading companies in the field of transport and postal services earned UAH 243.67 billion in revenue. Their total revenue grew by 12% over the year.

Not everyone had a good year: 8 companies saw their revenues grow, but only 5 of the top ten managed to make a net profit. The total profit of the top five was UAH 8.16 billion, while the losses of the other four companies amounted to UAH 12.1 billion. Another company broke even last year.

Despite the fact that half of the leading companies are state-owned, they account for more than 70% of the total income of the top five: UAH 171.89 billion.

Ukrzaliznytsia, the permanent leader of the Index, received UAH 102.87 billion in revenue last year (+11% yoy). However, the company still made a loss at the end of the year: UAH 4.19 billion. Ukrtransgaz had a similar situation: its revenue decreased by almost a third, and its losses reached UAH 7.44 billion.

Ukrposhta had a more successful year. Despite the fact that the company ended the year in the red, it managed to reduce its losses by almost 2 times. Overall, Ukrposhta increased its revenue by 12% to UAH 12.98 billion last year.

“For us, this rating and its results are not just numbers on the screen. These are years of hard work by tens of thousands of people who have been implementing reforms step by step and turning Ukrposhta into a modern and successful business. Despite the challenges of the war and the fact that we are a business with a human face, guided not only by short-term financial gain but also by the welfare of Ukrainians, we succeed,” comments Igor Smelyansky, CEO of Ukrposhta.

Another state-owned company, the Ukrainian Gas Transmission System Operator, increased its revenues by 7% to UAH 38.53 billion over the year. Although net profit decreased by 8.7 times to UAH 1.27 billion, the company still ended the year in the black.

Ukraine’s GTS operator operates stably and reliably despite numerous challenges caused by the full-scale war. The company clearly and timely fulfills its obligations to internal and external customers of natural gas transportation services. This approach ensures the financial sustainability of the Company’s development,” said Vladislav Medvedev, acting CEO of GTSOU.

The revenue of the state-owned Ukrtransnafta decreased insignificantly, but its profit dropped by 16 times to UAH 1.22 billion. It is worth noting that in the previous Index, this company was the leader in terms of profit among the top ten.

For the second year in a row, Nova Poshta, which belongs to the NOVA group, has been ranked second in the Index, with its revenue up 23% to UAH 44.78 billion. But profit, on the contrary, decreased by 1.6 times to UAH 2.5 billion.

“In 2024, Nova Poshta became the world’s best postal operator according to the World Post & Parcel Award, expanding its network to more than 37,000 service points in Ukraine and more than 87,000 in 16 European countries by the end of the year. Last year, we opened the first barrier-free post office in Ukraine and donated more than UAH 4.8 billion for humanitarian needs and support of the army. 2024 was about movement and the challenges we managed to overcome,” the company commented.

This year, another NOVA Group company, Neo-Trans, was included in the Index for the first time. It showed the fastest revenue growth among the top ten: +100% (UAH 6.5 billion). Its profit also doubled to UAH 116.55 million. Together, the two NOVA companies account for 21% of the total revenue of the leaders.

Logistician Union of the ATB group is not far behind. Thus, the company moved up several positions in the ranking, increasing its revenue by 29% and earning the largest profit of all – UAH 3.06 billion (+40%).

Lemtrans, a company of Akhmetov’s SCM Group, demonstrates stability and remains in the seventh position for the third year in a row. Its revenue increased by only 3% to UAH 7.3 billion.

This year’s Index includes another new company, Ukrainian Helicopters. Despite a 17% increase in revenue (up to UAH 872 million), which allowed it to break into the top, the business recorded a loss of UAH 52.5 million.

At the same time, two companies from Oleksandr Radavsky’s agricultural holding, Promvagontrans and Berehove Grain Receiving Enterprise, dropped out of the 2025 Index. In 2024, their revenues decreased by 2.5 and 3 times, respectively, but both of them turned a profit: +UAH 2 million and +UAH 36 million in profit.

https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/index-transport-and-mail-2025

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