The vast majority of Ukrainian insurers in the first month of martial law were able to organize and adjust their work in accordance with the prevailing conditions and continue their activities, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) said in a comment to the request of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
“The National Bank, as a regulator of non-banking financial services markets, in the first days of the war, developed and sent to all insurers a questionnaire in which market participants provide general information about their activities during martial law. This allows the NBU to understand the situation and take timely measures to maintain the insurance market,” the controller notes.
At the same time, it is specified that there are companies that cannot yet work, given their location, in particular, several insurers in Mariupol and Kharkiv reported that they were temporarily unable to carry out their activities.
As for the registration of insurers in the territory of hostilities, according to information from the State Register of Financial Institutions, 112 insurers are registered in Kiev, more than 100 separate divisions of insurers are registered in Kyiv and the Kiev region, including one division each in Vasilkov, Bucha and Brovary.
There are 5 insurers and more than 40 separate subdivisions of insurers registered in the city of Kharkov, one in Dergachi, Kharkiv region, one insurer and 19 separate subdivisions of insurers are registered in Chernihiv, two insurers and 12 separate subdivisions of insurers are registered in Mariupol, and 18 separate subdivisions of insurers are registered in occupied Kherson. subdivisions of insurers, three – in Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, in Nikolaev – 20 separate subdivisions of insurers, in Sumy – 16.
Answering the question whether there are preliminary calculations of how much the insurance market could shrink both in terms of quantity and business, the NBU noted that, given the conditions of martial law, a number of measures were taken to ensure the functioning of the financial system of Ukraine. In particular, the NBU extended reporting and decided not to apply measures of influence to non-banking financial services market participants, including insurers, for violation of reporting deadlines, including for 2021. The deadlines (until April 1, 2002) for the submission by insurers of information and documents at the request of the National Bank, sent within the framework of on-site supervision, were also postponed. In addition, the activities of participants in the non-banking financial services market under martial law have been regulated.
“Given the extension of the deadlines for reporting by insurers until April 1, 2022, calculations and conclusions on the reduction of the insurance market can only be made after receiving reports and their analysis for 2021 and the first quarter of 2022. We will definitely publish this information on our website,” noted the regulator.
The regulator also clarified that in order to resolve the issue of obtaining insurance companies the opportunity to purchase short loans secured by government bonds in order to obtain instant liquidity, he turned to the National Commission for Securities and Stock Market (NCSM).
The NSMSC, guided by paragraph 13 of Article 8 of the law “On State Regulation of Capital Markets and Organized Commodity Markets” and in connection with the introduction of martial law in Ukraine, amended Annex No. 2 to its decision No. 144 of March 08, 2022 “On drawing up transactions in the capital markets for the period of martial law” new paragraph: “10. Depository institutions have the right to conduct depository operations in the depository accounting system related to the pledge of government securities in banks, the change and termination of such pledge, as well as the foreclosure of the subject of pledge” .
Answering the question whether the regulator, in connection with the current situation, does not intend to recommend banks to amend the existing deposit agreements of insurers, giving the right to unblock part of the funds necessary, in particular for payments, the NBU noted that the insurance companies that had such a problem are solving it with the National Bank on an individual basis.
So far, none of the allies has provided their vision of security guarantees for Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said.
“I did not raise the issue of security guarantees at the meeting, because we know exactly the list of allies that we see as potential security guarantors with whom we are negotiating on a bilateral basis. But in my bilateral meetings here, we raise and discuss this issue with them. They receive a better understanding of what we want. But we are still discussing. None of them have given us their vision of security guarantees at the moment,” Kuleba said at a press conference after attending a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday.
In March this year, Ukrainians registered 8.3 thousand used cars imported from abroad during the war, Ukravtoprom reported.
“This is much less than a year earlier (-76%), but this result was 15 times higher than the March market for new passenger cars,” the association’s website said on Thursday.
As reported, registrations of new passenger cars in March 2022 fell by 16.5 times compared to the “covid”, but peaceful March of last year – up to 546 units.
According to the Association, the most popular used car in March this year was Volkswagen Golf with 484 registrations, Renault Megane is second with 472 units, Volkswagen Passat is in third place with 422 customs cleared and registered cars.
Skoda Octavia continues the list (339 units), and Ford Focus closes the top five with a score of 217 units.
Taking into account March registrations, almost 69,000 used cars imported from other countries received Ukrainian license plates in January-March, which is six times more than new passenger cars over the same period.
As reported, in the first quarter of last year, 87.7 thousand units were registered in Ukraine. used foreign cars imported from abroad, which exceeded the registration of new cars by four times.
On March 24, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, in order to stimulate important imports for the country, among a number of goods for the period of martial law, exempted the import of vehicles by citizens from taxation (cars, motorcycles, trucks and buses).
After the economic recession caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 60-65% of milk processing enterprises resumed work, even in the conditions of hostilities, the industry is able to meet domestic demand, so importing milk into the country is not advisable.
This opinion was published on the website of the profile association “Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine” (SMPU) on Thursday.
According to her, the import of dairy products to Ukraine is inappropriate, since the resumption of the work of two-thirds of the enterprises of the industry, taking into account the stocks of dairy products intended for export, the supply of which disrupted the hostilities, makes it possible to meet the needs of the domestic market.
In addition, the association predicts that the production of raw milk in Ukraine per capita in 2022 will grow by 8% compared to 2021 – up to 229 kg from 212 kg.
At the same time, the SMPU recalls that after the start of the war, the Cabinet of Ministers included military goods, meat and edible offal, milk and dairy products, vegetables, nuts and a number of other goods on the list of critical imports. “However, the SMPU believes that there is no need to import milk. After all, even in the conditions of war, the dairy industry of Ukraine continues to work and fully supplies the country with high-quality dairy products. Therefore, the inclusion of dairy products in the lists of critical imports is a useless waste of precious foreign exchange funds,” the statement emphasizes. message.
In addition, according to the association, competition with imported “milk” will lead to a reduction in production by Ukrainian dairies and, accordingly, to a decrease in milk production.
“The government should support Ukrainian dairy producers. Now one of the main tasks of the state is to preserve the number of cows and the dairy industry. Therefore, SMPU insists on removing dairy products from the list of critical imports,” the organization said in a statement.
As reported, on February 28, the Cabinet of Ministers significantly expanded the list of critical imports. It includes meat and meat by-products, milk and dairy products, poultry eggs, natural honey, vegetables and edible root crops and tubers, fruits and nuts, coffee, tea, spices, cereals, wheat and wheat-rye flour, soybeans, juices. and plant extracts.
On Thursday, April 7, Ukrposhta made the first delivery from the Belgian Post Group (Belgian Post, bpost), 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid, which bpost collected from the population in its 657 branches.
According to the press service of the national postal operator, the reloading was carried out on the border with Romania thanks to the help and assistance of the Romanian Post.
According to Ukrposhta, in particular, 20 tonnes of food and hygiene products, as well as 20 tonnes of essential medical supplies were delivered from Belgium. They are already moving to Kyiv region, as well as to the east and south of Ukraine.
It is noted that food and hygiene products will be donated to the needs of defenders and organizations that take care of children and the elderly, and will also be distributed to IDPs.
Medicines were purchased by a charitable foundation in Belgium according to the needs of specific hospitals, they are sent to them by targeted delivery.
“Thanks to the fact that from the beginning of the war, Ukrposhta turned to the member countries of the Universal Postal Union for support, today we have it from many post offices of the world, which is expressed in real actions. Another 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid is hundreds of meals for people from the most difficult regions, these are medical supplies for the treatment of military and civilians who were injured due to rocket attacks by Russia,” the press service of the company quotes Ukrposhta CEO Igor Smelyansky.
At the same time, the head of Ukrposhta separately thanked the Belgian Post for understanding not only the plight of Ukrainians, in which they found themselves due to the Russian attack, but also the difficult logistical conditions. In addition to organizing the collection and delivery of aid, bpost also organized its sorting into categories, which will significantly speed up the work, reducing processing time and saving precious minutes, and immediately send aid to the most affected regions of Ukraine, Smelyansky noted.
Ukrainians affected by the war will be able to be treated in the EU countries, the press service of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine has said on Thursday.
According to the Health Ministry, treatment abroad became possible thanks to the initiative of the Ministry of Cooperation with the European Commission (Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety DG SANTE) regarding the treatment abroad of Ukrainians affected by Russian military aggression.
The Health Ministry said that now Ukrainian patients after evacuation can be referred for treatment to clinics of member countries of the European Union (EU). The evacuation process will be mediated by the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC).
The Emergency Response Coordination Centre, the European Civil Protection Mechanism, is regularly activated to respond to emergencies. It also ensures the rapid deployment of emergency support and acts as a focal point between all EU member states.
