The investment company UMG Investments from SCM Group of Rinat Akhmetov has received a mandate to carry out two or three investments annually of up to $10 million each as a minority partner, SCM Head Oleh Popov has said.
“UMG Investments is ready for any partnerships – they have a mandate to enter projects as minority shareholders, and make investments up to $10 million … per transaction. They should bring 2-3 such transactions per year,” he said in an interview with Ekonomichna Pravda.
According to Popov, the main criteria are potential and innovativeness, but SCM has expectations for the return of these investments, but he did not specify the minimum profitability.
The head of the group recalled that in addition to new third-party projects, UMG Investments, headed by Andriy Gorokhov and Nadiya Kaznacheyeva, is also looking for additional projects with high profitability at all SCM industrial assets, including waste treatment.
As an example of implemented investments, Popov named the production of protein feed additives for animals Feednova with partners from the Effective Investments group of companies and Dutch-based Mada Participations B.V., the Ukrainian Mineral Fertilizers enterprise for the production of ammonium sulfate, projects for the coherent utilization of coal mine methane and the construction of a grain terminal.
As reported, at the end of March this year, Gorokhov confirmed the strategic plans for further investment in Ukraine, estimating the volume of UMG Investments’ investments at over $40 million annually.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DEBT OF UKRAINE IN 2009-2021
The volume of investments in real estate in the capital amounted to $32.87 million in March, 2021, which is 10% more than in February 2021, Director of Blagovist Real Estate Agency (Kyiv) Olena Biberova told Interfax-Ukraine.
“In March, the market activity was high, there were a lot of applications for the selection of houses for purchase. The greatest demand is observed for apartments with renovation in new buildings. The demand for the purchase of non-residential properties is not very active yet, the business has taken a wait-and-see attitude, and a deferred demand is being formed. There is a gradual rise in prices within 5%,” she said.
According to Biberova, in March the main number of transactions fell on apartments, and about 10% of the total – for houses.
The segment up to $50,000 in March took 14% of the total number of transactions. In this category, mainly one-, two-room apartments were purchased, most of all in Dniprovsky, Darnytsky, Holosiyivsky districts of the capital. Apartment deals accounted for the bulk.
Biberova said that the most affordable option purchased in March was a one-room apartment with an area of 22 square meters worth $23,000 on Shepeleva Street (Solomiansky district). A one-room apartment with an area of 31 square meters on Berezniakivska Street (Dniprovsky district) was sold for $41,000 and on Maksymovycha Street (Holosiyivsky district) – a one-room apartment with an area of 37 square meters in a new house was sold for $50,000.
In the segment from $50,000 to $100,000, some 42% of transactions were carried out, two-, three-room apartments in Solomiansky and Darnytsky districts of Kyiv prevail. So, on Nauky Avenue (Holosiyivsky district), a one-room apartment with an area of 25 square meters was sold for $52,000; on Naberezhno-Rybalska Street (Podilsky district) – a one-room apartment with an area of 50 square meters was sold for $75,000; and on Antonovycha Street (Holosiyivsky district) – a three-room apartment with an area of 72 square meters was sold for $100,000.
The price category from $250,000 in March is represented by 5% of the total volume of transactions. So, on Hrushevskoho Street (Pechersky District) an apartment with an area of 87 square meters was bought for $254,000, and an apartment with an area of 106 square meters on John McCain Street (Pechersky district) was bought for $355,000.
“The most expensive object sold in March is an apartment with an area of 203 square meters on Instytutska Street [Pechersky District] worth $1 million,” Biberova said.
Blagovist Real Estate Agency, part of the First Realty Group corporation, was established in 1993. Today, there are eight agency offices in Kyiv, with which about 500 professional real estate consultants cooperate.
Apple has officially opened an office in Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on Telegram.
Now, according to him, the company will directly import equipment to Ukraine and control the stores of official dealers.
“This is important news. The opening of the Apple office will strengthen our image in the international arena and in the future will help attract new investments,” Fedorov said.
Also, from June 29, 2021, support for Apple users in Ukrainian became available.
“For more than a year now, our team has been communicating with both the European and American offices of the company. Together we plan to launch new Apple services for Ukrainian users,” Fedorov said.
DYNAMICS OF CHANGES IN DISCOUNT RATE OF NBU
Prices for square meters in projects under construction for the year increased by 10-12% in hryvnias, CEO and Managing Partner of the development company DC Evolution Andriy Ryzhykov has told Interfax-Ukraine.
“A sharp rise in prices is not observed – there is a normal, projected growth of 10-12% in hryvnias and a little less in U.S. dollars. Depending on the quality of projects and the phase of implementation, prices in some objects have grown by 20-25%,” Ryzhykov said.
The expert named several reasons for the increase.
“Firstly, inflation, no one has canceled it. Secondly, people have money and they are ready to spend it. Oddly enough, the coronavirus year has become super profitable for many industries. Thirdly, the cost has increased greatly, accordingly, this needs to be compensated for by higher prices,” Ryzhykov said.
The expert also named the buyers’ increasing requirements for future housing.
“People, living in COVID-19 conditions, wanted a different quality of life, so projects that rely on environmental friendliness, nature, high-quality infrastructure and safe yards are ready to give installments, and do not complain about the flow of money, so they have the opportunity to raise the price,” Ryzhykov said.
The expert denied the assumption that a “bubble is inflating” in the domestic market of residential real estate.
“A bubble is an abundance of insanely cheap money that is thoughtlessly distributed, which leads to an unjustified rise in prices. In our country, growth is quite economically justified,” Ryzhykov said.
He said that one should not be afraid that the investment in the facilities under construction will not pay off.
“In most high-quality projects, buying an apartment at an early phase and reselling it at 30% more expensive before commissioning, one can earn about 15% per annum, and this is a completely normal investment,” Ryzhykov said.
