Ukrainian banks in January-August 2021 issued 6,570 mortgage loans worth over UAH 5.2 billion, which is 2.2 times higher than the figure for eight months of 2020 in terms of the number of such loans and 2.9 times – by volume, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) reported following a monthly survey of Banks.
According to it, in August, 944 mortgage loans were issued for UAH 830.1 million, compared with 531 loans for UAH 358.1 million a month earlier.
The press service noted that the mortgage lending market remains concentrated: the five most active banks have concluded 89% of new transactions.
It is indicated that loans for the purchase of housing in the secondary real estate market remain the main driver of the market: in August, their share exceeded 90% of all mortgage loans provided both in terms of the number of contracts and in terms of monetary volume, the press release notes.
The results of the survey indicate that the average size of a loan for the purchase of housing in August increased to UAH 879,300 from UAH 793,800.
According to the NBU, in August the average effective rate of a mortgage loan in the secondary market rose to 13.60% compared to 13.35% in July, and in the primary market fell to 15.9% from 16.82%.
The volume of commercial products of Kyivsky cardboard paper mill (Obukhiv, Kyiv region), the leader in the pulp and paper industry in sales, increased by 30.1% in January-September 2021 compared to the same period in 2020, to UAH 5.421 billion.
According to the statistics of the Ukrpapir association provided to Interfax-Ukraine, the plant has slightly accelerated the production growth rate in monetary terms compared to the same period last year (in the first half of the year it was 22%, over eight months – 29.3%).
In quantity terms, in particular, the plant increased output of corrugated packaging by 4.7% over this period, to 183 million square meters, keeping the second position in production of these products after Rubizhne cardboard and packaging mill (together with Trypilsky packing plant).
Output of base paper for sanitary and hygienic products increased slightly (by 0.3%), to 64,300 tonnes, and production of toilet paper in rolls decreased by 6.8%, to 312.2 million pieces.
The highest growth rate in January-September was again shown by production of cardboard, however, the growth rate slowed down a bit – to 13.5%, 174,100 tonnes were produced. In particular, boxboard was produced 34% more – 67,500 tonnes, and container (including paper for corrugation) – 3.4% more, 106,500 tonnes.
According to the association, in general, enterprises in the industry have increased output of corrugated packaging by 7.3%, to 554.34 million square meters, paper and cardboard by 12%, to almost 670,000 tonnes. Production of toilet paper in rolls decreased by 3%, to 518.34 million pieces.
On Wednesday, October 13, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Prime Minister of Slovakia Eduard Heger met within a working visit to Malmö(Kingdom of Sweden), where they discussed relevant issues of bilateral relations.
According to the Cabinet of Ministers press service, during the meeting, Shmyhal said that Ukraine highly appreciates the support provided by Slovakia in matters of protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“We count on the support of Slovakia in countering the Nord Stream 2 operator in an attempt to bypass the standard certification requirements of the European Union,” the head of the Ukrainian government said.
The sides also discussed issues of gas transportation, development of electricity and hydropower, renewable energy sources and others.
“Denys Shmyhal also said that Ukraine is looking forward to holding the fifth meeting of the Ukrainian-Slovak joint commission on economic, industrial and scientific-technical cooperation and other intergovernmental commissions by the end of the year, as this will give new incentives to strengthen partnership between the countries,” the Cabinet of Ministers said.
The sides also agreed to hold the next meeting in Uzhgorod soon.
In 2022, the construction of the Ice Arena, a sports complex within the framework of the Big Construction program and the restoration of three castles under the Big Restoration program will start in Cherkasy region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“There is our program – these are large sports unique multi-complexes. One of them will be built in Cherkasy region, several more swimming pools. The Ice Arena will be built separately. These are all programs that will begin next year. There are three castles within the Big Restoration, which are included in the program,” Zelensky told media representatives while on a working visit to Kaniv, Cherkasy region.
He also said that within the framework of the Big Restoration program, documents are also being prepared for the restoration of Kaniv center.
In addition, according to him, in 2022, a school with a playground for children and a swimming pool will appear in the city.
Speaking about roads, the President said that about 250 km of roads are planned to be repaired within the current year.
“I think that in a couple of years we will finish all the main roads in Cherkasy region,” he said.
“I believe that they have everything in Cherkasy region. There are people, there are hands, there are unique places and history. We need to bring all this into a normal high-quality form,” Zelensky said.
The lack of production facilities in Ukraine and the import of its confectionery products into the country allows Mars Corporation to successfully conduct its business amid a crisis in the industry caused by the rise in prices for raw materials and energy resources, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Mars Ukraine LLC (Brovary, Kyiv region) Svitlana Hrukhal has said. “In the field of confectionery, we have everything under control. We import products, and this makes it possible to distribute the raw material base and production resources in several countries and thus compensate [for crises],” she told Interfax-Ukraine on the sidelines of the Ukrainian CFO Forum on Wednesday.
According to her, the key trend in the industry is the growth in demand in Ukraine and neighboring countries, which is most pronounced in the segment of chocolate and chewing gum. Hrukhal said that in order to meet this demand, it is necessary to increase production of confectionery products in the region, which is hindered by the rise in prices for raw materials, their shortage, as well as the lack of labor resources.
“If we talk about assessing the development of confectionery products specifically for Mars Corporation, then we have everything under control, and we hope to successfully close this year,” the company’s CFO said.
During the forum, she also said that in 2007 the company planned to build a plant in Boryspil district (Kyiv region) for production of animal feed, but due to unstable business conditions in Ukraine, it abandoned this idea. According to her, for large international companies, the presence of clear and understandable “rules of the game” in the country is a more important factor for investment than well-developed measures of state support for business.
Mars Ukraine LLC is a Ukrainian division of the large international confectionery company Mars. The company sells food and pet care products in Ukraine, produced in Russia and Hungary. Its major brands are Snickers, MARS, Twix, Bounty, Milky Way, M&M’s, Maltesers, Dove, Pedigree, Chappi, Whiskas, Kitekat, Sheba and others.
Dinamo Kiev lost 0-1 to Barcelona (Spain) in the third match of the 2021-2022 Champions League group stage, dropping to last place in Group E with one point.
The only goal in the 36th minute was scored by Gerard Piqué, completing Jordi Alba’s pass from the goalkeeper’s line. Thus, the Catalans bypassed the Kyivans, rising to third place with three points.
In another match, the leaders play: Benfica in Lisbon hosts Bayern München.
In the fourth round on November 2, Dinamo will play with Barcelona in Kyiv, and Benfica will go to Germany.
